The Force of Change
by Dr.Bartholomew.J.Tucker
Summary: The Force works in mysterious ways. When a beaten and tortured Neo Politan is laying in the basement of a warehouse after a particularly cruel session with Cinder Fall, she sends out a mental call for help. The Force hears her and plucks Darth Vader off of the Executor. What will the Dark Lord do with an orphan girl, and can Neo change Vader? Rated M for dark themes, triggers, etc.
1. Foreword

_**FOREWARD**_ _**Hello readers. I am sincerely sorry for my absence. AIT keeps me busy most of the time and recent events have made it... Difficult to write. My mind feels dead inside, and what I write is starting to reflect it. It's dark, jumbled, and not particularly my best work. Please, bear with me until I can get things straight here.**_

_**Now, onto the story. I had been tossing an idea for Star Wars and RWBY (Vader centric) around for a while, and even had a good amount of it written out. Due to a mishap with my DS (Drill Sergeant), I lost about three chapters worth of writing. So, after a few rewrites where I tried to recapture what I had, I ended up putting it to the side, only to pull it out again when I was in my current funk. The results were... unusual. I decided to call it "The Force of Change" due to both the story I had planned out and how the theme impacts myself. Puns aside, the title is a reversal of the saying "Change is a powerful force." It can change down at the singular, personal level, or an entire country fundamentally. The first chapter itself will be out later, probably tonight, but I just wanted to say a few words before this story actually started.**_

_**First, on the subject of Vader. After a little in depth research, I learned a few things that actually helped me to relate to the Dark Lord of the Sith. Darth Vader is a broken man. The traumatic scars of "killing" his wife and unborn child(ren), the Jedi Order (including the children), and overall his failures as a Jedi had beat him into submission as a loyal dog to the Emperor. With his suit, it wasn't just keeping him alive, it was torturing him, reducing his innate Force abilities. His bionics were improperly attached, causing pain whether he was at rest, or fighting. The suit and system itself relied on technology already decades old when it was installed, and the emperor refused to let him upgrade to something more powerful, fearing it would make him too powerful to control. Despite this, he still fought on the front lines alongside his men and the 501st, commanding the utmost respect from all of them. He was still an honorable man, ignoring the Sith motto, "Treachery is the Way of the Sith," and keeping true to his word. Unless of course, you were Boba Fett, who contemplated going back on his own word to the Dark Lord. Vader also hates failure, as demonstrated when he strangled Admiral Ozzel for his failure to prepare an attack on Hoth. As for himself, Vader has trained everyday in both the force and his lightsaber, preparing for the day he finally fought and killed Obi-Wan Kenobi.**_

_**However, all of these things contributed to a broken, sad man. Professional psychologists from leading clinics and colleges have actually diagnosed Darth Vader with several mental disorders. Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder, and OCD are chief among them. All in all, Vader is just as human as any stormtrooper in the Imperial army.**_

_**Concerning the story. You may notice that my characters are severely AU. That is because I wanted them to be more... Well, like their personality types. Cinder is most definitely a sadist who enjoys the pain of others, that much is painfully obvious by watching her interactions in RWBY. As for Roman... Well, he seems to be just a little**_ **too** ** _attached to Neo Politan. Now, in the show he might not be a pedophilistic bastard, but hey, this is real life. Not some gritty fairy tale that RWBY presents. All of my characters are going to be a bit... harsher. There won't be a limelight, only a spotlight to reveal their minute imperfections. Ozpin is going to be a little more manipulative, Weiss is going to be more of an egotistical prat, but still depressed by her childhood. Glynda is... well, she's probably the only_** **"real"** ** _character on the show. Neo is going to be a bit damaged due to her past. Note: This takes place just after the events of the opening scene in RWBY, and a few months before the incidents on Rouge One._**

_**Thanks for being patient with me during this time.**_

_**Sincerely,**_ _**The Author**_


	2. The Many Faces of Mercy

_**_**Alright, I sincerely apologize for the massive delay in getting this chapter typed up and posted. Howver, I can most certainly blame a myraid of problems that abruptly interered with my schedual... Including a broken foot. I really hate Murphy's Law. That being said, I hope you read the foreward before jumping to the main story. If not, I really must warn you. There are some definite triggers in this chapter and more will come in the future. My writing for this particular story has taken a darker turn, so if you don't like torture, sadism, rape, etc... Don't read this. Even I'm slightly disturbed by what my mind has come up with.**_**_

Chapter One: The Many Faces of Mercy

 ** **Warehouse: West District of the City of Vale****

 ** **Time:2300hrs****

 ** **"**** Really now, Cinder, did you have to do so much damage?"

Cinder sighed, cleaning her hands of the burnt blood and... other materials, "Honestly, Roman, I don't care about your disgusting fetishes. If you don't want the brat, then get rid of her and find another." She looked down and grimaced in disgust; it seemd that a mixture of blood and vomt had hit her in various places. Deciding that her dress was ruined, she shrugged and stripped it off.

Roman cleared his throat uncomfortably, averting his eyes from her nude form." It's hard finding anyone who won't be missed... and at least I'm not some BDSM sadist."

Cinder glanced over and smirked, walking over with a sultry sway in her hips," Oh, I'm the sadist? I know what you did to little Neo. I know how you... _ _damaged__ her. You don't want any unwanted accidents ruining your little toy, right?" She pressed against Roman's chest, her smile growing wider as a thick bulge from his pants pressed back into her lower abdomen. Her hand snaked down, squeezing him."Now, why don't you give Neo a break tonight and show __me__ what you can do."

Roman glanced down at the smaller woman, a snide protest already forming on his lips. Then he thought about the burnt scrap of meat hanging in the basement below. "Oh, what the hell, it's no fun dealing with soppy seconds anyway. We're doing it at your place though. I don't want you anywhere near my home..."

 ** **Warehouse Basement****

Neo was in pain... Everything seemed to hurt. She weakly tugged at the chains holding her against the wall, wincing as the metal cuffs rubbed against her raw, bloody wrists. The tri-coloured girl had no idea why this was happening to her. Mr. Torchwick and Miss Fall had shown up at the orphanage a few days ago, looking for a child. Imediately, Mr. Torchwick zeroed in on the girl, acting kind and fatherly. Despite something silently screaming at her to get as far away as possible from the two adults, she was too eager to have a family. Being fourteen years old in an orphanage meant that it was unlikely that she would ever be adopted, and then these two showed up. But this... this wasn't family in any dictionary. This was hell. She had been chained down her for what felt like weeks, and the nightly sessions that Miss. Fall called reconditioning was slowly driving her insane. She could actually feel her grip on reality slipping away bit by bit. Neo could feel insanity gnawing at her mind, and at this point, she didn't know if she had the strength to fight it... or if she even wanted to.

After a brief struggle, she finally managed to pull her tiny wrists free and collapse to the floor with a pained whimper. The sound was cut off abruptly as she clapped her hand over her mouth, remembering what Cinder had told her. __Good girls should not be seen or heard. They should only obey their superiours.__ The sadistic woman's voice echoed in her head, forcing the poor girl into silence. She managed to keep it together for all of five seconds before the events of the last few weeks finally broke her will, causing the tortured girl to break down into a sobbing, terrified mess. All she wanted was someone to help her. Anything to make the pain end.

As it stood, this was a critical point in Neo's life. A __Shatterpoint__ some might say. She had been going through this same routine, pleading for help and yet not beleiving that anyone or thing was listening... but there was. The Force, a living energy similar to aura, had been watching the young teenager throughout her life, interested in her once cheerful demeanor and unique connections to the Living Force. Seeing one of its "favourites" in such damaging conditions, it began scouring the galaxy for someone strong in the Force, and willing to help. What it found... Well, it didn't have much to work with due to recent events in time.

Neo suddenly screamed in terror as something large and heavy slammed into the table Cinder used for more brutal torture sessions. She stared at the crumpled heap in bewilderment, wondering if she had finally gone around the bend. It was a massive man, easily reaching two metres tall, maybe more... and he was still breathing. He had a harsh, rasping breath that never paused or hesitated, not even as he began to wake up. A low, strangely synthetic groan sent Neo scurrying behind an overturned table.

"Ow... This is Darth Vader... Hailing the Executor. Come in Admiral Ozzel. The man paused before muttering darkly, "Sithspit... Out of range." Then he noticed the room around him. "What the... Where the stang am I?"

Darth Vader stood slowly, disoriented from his abrupt departure from the Executor's main bridge and even more abrupt appeared to be in some sort of underground room, if the lack of windows and ceiling ventilation was any indication. But that really wasn't what caught his attention. It was the echos of pain and sadness, so powerful that even a Sith Lord such as Vader was stunned by the sadistic and cruel rage that rivaled his master. In fact, it was so powerful, that he nearly missed the weak Force Presence nearby. He swiveled around, immediately locking on to the pair of pink and brown eyes peering at him with a mixture of curiousity and fear. "Ah... A child. Come here, young one. Now."

To Vader's surprise, the girl actually complied, as well as she could anyway. She managed several steps, before collapsing with a piteous cry of pain. Vader stiffend as he got a proper look at the girl. The marks of torture, so reminiscent of those received by the less fortunate slaves on Tattoine. The usually cold, unfeeling Sith was instantly by her side. Ignoring her feeble cries of protest, Vader lifted her off the filthy ground, able to cradle her tiny form in one arm. "Shush, young one. I shall not harm you." He gazed around the room, grateful for once that he could no longer smell anything. The Sith Lord quickly located a small wooden at the top of a metal staircase, bolted in place with a thick metal bar. He quickly made his way up the stairs, unclipping his lightsaber and summoning it to his hand with a small gesture. Not having the patience to unlock the door with the force, yet not wanting to make a scene by obliterating it along with a section of the wall, he decided to just break the lock. The sith weapon sprang to life with its usual snap-hiss, humming ominously as it sliced clean though the bolt and hinges with two quick slices.

The dark lord would have been shot as he walked blindly into the ajacent corridor had the Force not been on his side. Lucky for him, the two henchmen tasked with guarding the door weren't the shoot first, ask questions later type. They leapt away from the door in terror, drawing a pair of red blades and pointing them at the massive figure leaving a basement that most certainly did not contain him when it was locked.

"Hold it right there, big guy. WHo the he-URK!"

Vader ripped the blades out of their hands and slammed them up against the wall with the Force, holding them there with an outstretched hand. It was then that the two men knew they had fucked up, and one of them began to regret not listening to his mother as a child. They clutched at their throats as an invisible force pressed down upon their throats, only stopping when Vader's baritone voice emanated from his terrifying visage.

"You just made a mistake that would usually forfiet your lives to me. However, since I am pressed for time, answer my questions, and I will show you mercy."

He smiled cruely under his helmet as the two men quickly nodded their heads, "Good... What is the name of this planet?"

Confused by the question, but not wanting to question the man with a glowing laser sword and telekinetic powers, one of the men quickly choked out, "Remnant! We call this world Remnant!"

Vader cursed silently, realizing he was no longer in Imperial territory. Next question then... "Who is the child in my arms, and why was she in that... room."

Okay, so it was two questions, but still, these men were oh so willing to divulge information when they were this terrified. "Th-the boss calls her Neo! She's been going through some sort of reconditioning program!"

"Yeah! And our contractor, Mr. Torchwick usually has her way with her after the boss is done!"

Vader froze, nearly dropping the two men as the last statement registered. He knew the girl had been tortured, but to go to those lengths? He growled, "Thank you for your cooperation, gentlemen. Goodbye." With a quick squeeze, both men dropped to the floor with sickening, twin cracks from their necks. 'Neo' looked at them with a mixture of horror and confusion. She knew that the man holding her had killed them, but why? He promised them mercy. Vader felt her confusion as he turned away from the bodies, making his way out of the warehouse with some of the information he had gained from their minds before they died, "I showed them mercy, child. The mercy of a quick death. Now, go to __sleep...__ "

Neo, while she may have had a connection to the force, was too weak and untrained to defend herself against the Force Persuasion, instantly drifting off to sleep as Vader left the warehouse, casually killing anyone idiotic enough to get in his way.

 _ ** _ **Now, I suppose I have a bit of explaining to do. For those of you who refused to read the foreward, The Force of Change is actually a rearrangement of the saying Change is a powerful force. This entire story will be about Vader returning to the light, and Neo struggling with her own daemons from Cinder's reconditioning. This will not be the fairy tale reality of RWBY, but rather a darker, more realistic world where things actually hurt people internally. Hopefully, you lot won't be discouraged by this little story.**_**_


	3. Why didn't I let that last guy live?

_**Hello! I'm going to update as often as possible now that I have my groove back and the time to do it. NEWSFLASH: The next chapter of Black Rose is almost complete. Just a little warning, I decided to do a time skip since Mato needed to acclimate herself to Beacon before school started. She was in the library for most of the time. Anyways, here's the next chapter of The Force of Change!**_

Ch. 2 Why didn't I let that last guy live?

Darth Vader was lost, utterly and hopelessly lost. The SIth Lord had been walking the streets of Vale for hours now, unable to locate a hospital in the misdst of the seeedy west district. Vader knew he should have kept one of those henchmen as a map... A small gasp of panic made him realize that his young passenger was finally awake. He sighed, looking around for some place to allow the girl to catch her bearings... and maybe somewhere that served food.

"hey! Mr. Dark-and-Mysterious!"

Vader turned around, his hand drifting to the lightsaber on his hip. A pair of girls, both wearing guady dreses (one red, the other white), approached him with a predatory air of confidence. He frowned, realizing he was looking at a pair of identical twins. "I am Lord Darth Vader, not Mr. Dark-and-Mysterious. State your business quicly, as I am trying to find assistance for this girl." He felt Neo go still, as if recognizing on some instinctive level that silence was key now.

The white themed twin frowned, scrutinzig the pale, dirty scrap of pink and brown staring at them from Vader's massive bulk, "Hey, Miltia, isn't that the girl Roman and Crimson brought to the club a few weeks ago?"

Her sister sucked in a sharp breath, nodding in agreement, "Oh my god... Melanie, this is the guy who killed Junior's goons! Hey, what the hell did you do to that girl!?"

Vader scowled, turning his back on the girls and walking away, "Go home, children. I do not have time for-ARGH!" The Sith Lord threw up his free arm as a red blur slammed into the ground in front of him, barely giving him enough time to block an incoming kick. A flicker in the Force warned him of another imminent attack on his left, causing him to twist wildly to avoid a flying kick from the white themed girl. Sithspit! These girls were fast! He growled in anger as he managed to recover. The little runts dared to attack _him?_ The high commander of the imperial forces and second in command of the Empire!? His lips curled in a cruel sneer of contempt as the red girl charged him from the front. Not even bothering to reach for the force, he lashed out with terrifying strength and backhanded her into a nearby wall. Her sister, stunned by the brutal display of strength, failed to react as Vader grabbed her by the throat, "Your courage, while admirable, is fueled by ignorance and foolishness. I did not harm this girl. That was caused by a man named-"

"Torchwick, Roman Torchwick."

Vade dropped the twin in shock, whipping around to see a man in a garish red coat standing in the middle of over a dozen men in suits with red swords and slug throwers.

The man smirked at Vader and pointed his cane at Neo, "I believe you have something of mine." The smirk faded as he noticed the twins picking themselves up behind Vader."Well, it looks like Junior is going to need some new eye candy... Get the girl, kill the rest."

Now, Vader being the man he was, could only watch in amazment as the men charged him without a single shred of fear. That was quickly remedied with a healthy dose of Force Fear. Not enough to make them run away, no... He was going to make an example of these men... He turned back to the twins, bowing slightly, "I apologize for hurting you. However, I must ask for a favor." He beckoned towards the red twin, setting Neo down gently. The military commander was surprised when the small girl managed to stand on her own, and made a note of her remarkable recovery rate. "Watch Neo, and stay behind me. I will teach these dogs to challenge the power of the Dark Side of the Force." Ignoring her look of utter bewilderment, he turned to face the axe gang members, all of whom were slowly shaking off the effects of Vader's Force Fear.

Roman scowled as he realized they had been tricked by some sort of mind power. He barked at the gang, "Kill him! Kill him now!"

The men resumed their charge, lead by one particularly unlucky individual. The gangster lifted his red sword overhead, only to scream in agonizing pain as a brilliant, blood red light cut clean through both of his arms. The scream ended almost as soon as it had started, turning into an airy sigh as Vader decapitated him. Soon the air was filled with the sound of terrified screams as the Dark Lord introduced the meaning of true fear to Remnant. The fight itself only lasted for two minutes, but that was enough time for Vader to dispose of the foolish gangsters with a variety of force and saber attacks. At one point, he ended up punching a man with enough Force power behind the blow to send him through several walls in a nearby building. A shocked silence reigned over the area as the last body fell to the ground in two pieces. Vader slowly turned to the man with red hair, "You, Roman Torchwick... You are under arrest..."

Roman swallowed hastily, getting rid of his horrified expression in favor of an arrogant sneer, "Oh yeah? You don't look like any huntsman I've seen. You don't have the auth... the authori... urk... Wh... What are..." The man dropped to the ground, clutching at his throat.

"I am not a huntsman. I am Lord Darth Vader, High Commander of the Imperial Fleet and second in command of the Galactic Empire. I have the authority to arrest whomever I want and execute them in Imperial Territory. However, because this planet is not part of the Galatic Empire, I will act as a militant ambassador. I will take you to the proper authorities to let them do as they see fit. Furthermore, I request that the woman who has been watching me for the past several minutes step out of the shadows and reveal herself." Vader turned around, keeping a firm grip on Torchwick with the Force and dragging him closer. A blond haired woman wearing a white, pleated blouse and black pencil skirt with a tattered purple cape on her back. A black strip of leather was gripped tightly in her hands as she approached the dark lord warily. Vader quickly realized that his Vader was still on and deactivated it, stowing it away while bowing. "Greetings, madam. I am Lord Darth Vader, High Command-"

"Yes, I already heard you, Mr. Vader. I see that you have captured Roman Torchwick..."

Roman, now suspended in the air, but not choking, smirked at the woman, "Ah, Professor. I seem to recall us meeting last night after my encounter with Red. Tell me, how is the little brat? Does she have a big ego now that sh-ACK!"

Vader applied stiff pressure to the man's throat, silencing him instantly, "Yes. Unfortunately I had to dispose of his... Men."

The woman sighed, obviously exasperated. "I am Professor Glynda Goodwitch, Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy... And I'm going to need you and those three girls to come with me. I take it you have a hold of Torchwick?"

Vader frowned under his mask. He was hoping to introduce himself to someone a little more important than a teacher, but something in the Force told him to trust her. He considered his options, ditch the kids and try to run away, or see what this woman had to say... For the first time in nearly two decades, Vader decided to trust the Force. He nodded, "Very well. However, I do not particularly know the twins. They were caught up in the fight."

Glynda turned away,gesturing for the group to follow her. "I have had my eyes on the twins for a while now. They are needed for a different reason."

Vader glanced at the twins, who stared at him apprehensively. He sighed, though no noise came out of the sythesizer, "Come, children. It is best that no one resists this. I feel it in the Force."

Miltia opened her mouth to speak against him, but stopped when Melanie put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head, "We'll go with you Mr. Vader. Someone needs to keep an eye on Neo. But if something starts going down, you are getting us out of there."

Vader raised an eyebrow, impressed by the girl's gall. Then he nodded, "It's a deal. Now, let's go. I have Torchwick."

 _ **Right, so this one was sorta thrown together. I needed to introduce a few characters to start building up the team. Take a guess at who the fourth member is? Here's a hint. We have a coin with the same name. Now that you know the major players, it's time to see what you want! Let me know in the comments/reviews who you want paired up and what you think a good team name would be!**_


	4. A Deal is Struck

_**Hello everyone! Right, so I suppose I need to answer a few questions...**_

 _ **TO: That one Guest: I'm pretty sure there's only one character who has the name of a coin. And if you're reading a fanfiction about RWBY, then you are more than likely american (as in from the North American continent) or Japan, both of which know what a penny is.**_

 _ **TO: Lord Demolitions: I was surprised anyone picked up on that. Because this is an AU fanfic, I decided to play with history a bit. The Executor ad been secrely completed a long time before the claimed date, and had been sent out on several test drives of a sort to see if a battleship that size would be practical in battle or if it would work better as a simple trasport.**_

 _ **Now that we have everything cleared up, let's do this thing!**_

 _ **All rights go to Monty Oum/Rooster Teeth and George Lucas.**_

Ch. 3 A Deal is Struck

Ozpin was perplexed, something that didn't happen often. Usually, he knew what was happening in Vale and the surrounding kingdoms, but this just didn't add up. He stared at the massive man sitting across the interrogation table, covered in head to toe with tick black armor. A control box of some sort was lodged in his chest and the sound of his heavy, mecanical breathing filled the room. "So... let me get this straight. You are the commander of some sort of naval fleet in space and second in command to a massive, galactic empire that spreads across the entire galaxy. Only you can't prove it because you were somehow dragged off your Super Star Destroyer after encountering a black hole?"

The man nodded courteously, speaking with a deep, baritone voice that couldn't be natural, "That is correct. The Executor, flagship to the Death Squadron, was on its maiden voyage and mission, escorting a research station to an unusual anomaly at the edge of the galaxy. The hyperjump was miscalculated and we overshot our intended target, nearly hitting the anomally. Oddly enough, enough, that placed us within the event horizon of a supermassive black hole, the anomaly we had been sent to investigate. I was unable to turn the ship around in time to engage the hyperdrives, so I decided to do a blind hyperjump directly underneath the black hole itself. An unusual ripple passed through the ship as I did this, and I was forcily removed from the ship. I do not know what happened to it."

The silver haired man frowned, unable to detect any falsehood coming from the man, "My colleague, Professor Goodwitch, says that you killed fifteen men with an unusual weapon that seemed to be ade of solid energy. I have brought the device with me. Would you care to explain how this device works?" He pulled the unusual cylinder of metal and plastic from his pocket, setting it on the table.

Darth Vader remained silent, considering his answer. While a lightsaber wasn't exactly top secret in te empire, he had seen how some of the people here could fight. They could easily use a lightsaber, becoming a possible threat to the Sith Empire. "I... cannot go in depth due to certain restrictions placed on the information you want... However, I can tell you this. The blade consists of a beam of superheated plasma held within a containment field."

Opin raised an eyebrow. Plasma? Remnant had only just begun investigating the mysterious fourth state of matter, and it required special labs to even produce a tiny, unstable amount. This man had technology that shouldn't even exist! He picked the weapon up, inspecting it from end to end. "Well, Mr. Vader, we will ave to confiscate this weapon for further investigation. I don't think you will be seeing it again. You can make another though-oh!" Ozpin jumped in surprise as the small device was pulled from his hands and through the air, landing in Vader's handcuffed hands.

"You will not be allowed access to this weapon. Do not attempt to confiscate it again, or you will be relieved of your heads. Is that understood?"

Despite being heavily synthesized, Vader's voice still carried a cold, heavy threatening tone. Ozpin nodded slowly, holding his hands up to show that he surrendered. "Yes, and that brings me to my next question. Glynda was unable to detect any aura coming from you, however a massive upwelling of something similar to aura seemed to fill the area around you. Are you able to explain this?" He stopped as an unusual sound came from the helmeted man. "Are... you laughing, Mr-"

"Lord. I am Lord Darth Vader, and you will adress me as such, Headmaster Ozpin." Vader made a short gesture with his hands, causing the handcuffs to unlock with a sharp, ominous click. When Ozpin stood up to leave, the door slammed shut, and he was pulled back into his chair. "Now, I have play along with your charades long enough, Heamaster, but I grow tired of such games. I am a high ranking military officer of a foriegn nation, not some common criminal. As such, I will not tolerate such treatment. I don't think so." Vader held out a hand as Ozpin reached for his cane, sending the obvious weapon skidding into a corner.

The headmaster swallowed, suddenly nervous. Something else that rarely happened. This man was dangerous, and he could feel it. "What is it that you want, Mr- _Lord_ Vader?"

Vader smiled cruely under his mask, "Glad to see you understand, Headmaster. Please, relax. I will not hurt you." He clipped the lightsaber back upon his hip and stood up, pacing the floor. "Because I am unable to contact my ship or superiours, I will act as ambassador for the Empire. This may seem irrelavent to most, but I am going to use it to claim sanctuary with you. It is quite obvious that you hold a position of power on this planet, and I intend to use that to avoid any... unsightly encounters with this planet's military forces. Because I do not believe in theivery though, I will place myself at your service to an extent." He raised a hand as Ozpin opened his mouth, cutting off any questions. "Second, the girl I rescued. Neo, was her name... She will be placed in my guardianship for the time being. There is more to that girl than meets the eye, and I wish to train her. And third, I wish to work with whatever technology you have on this primitive planet to construct a hyperspace communications relay. With it I will be able to contact the Empire. Do we have an accord?"

Now, Ozpin wasn't an idiot. He knew why Vader wished to contact his Galactic Empire. With his military bearing and overlord nature, the Empire was most likely a conquering force who wanted nothing but to control everything with an iron fist. Remnant already had its own problems with the Grimm. To bring an alien force with the intent to invade te planet... Remnant just did not have those sort of defenses. However, he could tell that there was more to Vader than a cruel, conquering overlord. After all, not many men would kill over seventy men just to save one child. He had heard reports of a gang massacre over in the west district, and with Roman in custody... He smiled slightly, "Now hold on, Lord Vader. I have a few conditions of my own. Fisrt, I thank you for your offer, and believe I have the perfect job for you. Second... I ope you don't mind, but you will also be serving as the legal guardian of the Malachite twins. They will be attending Beacon academy with Neo Politan. That's her surname by the way. And finally, while you are employed at Beacon Academy, you will be watched by one of our senior teams as well as the staff. Actually, that isn't really a condition as it is more of a given... How about this, when the time comes, I will ask one thing of you, and you must do it. Consider it a favor of sorts in return for giving you asylum."

Vader raised an eyebrow. Maybe this man wasn't as moronic as the higher ups in the Empire. This could be interesting... "I believe these terms are acceptable. We have an accord, Headmaster Ozpin." He extended a hand to the Remnant native, and thus the first deal was struck between an alien and human on Remnant. A historic moment. If it had been made public.

Ozpin looked at his hand and then back at Vader, "You're a cyborg? Interesting. If it's possible, would you allow your prosthetics to be inspected in the future? I think Remnant could benefit from a bit of alien tecnology. If it isn't too much trouble, of course."

Vader considered the request before noddig slowly, "I don't think there is any harm in that." He waved a hand at the door, unlocking and letting it swing open. He swept out of the room, ignoring the infuriated Professor Goodwitch, who was about to blow te door down to get to Ozpin. "Now, take me to Neo. I can feel her fear from here, and a scared, untrained Force Sensitive is not a good thing. She hasn't tapped into the force yet, but I do not wis to risk an accident."

Glynda looked at Ozpin questioningly, wo just shrugged. "Glynda, meet your partner. He will be taking over the first year combatives class. You will still be doing second year combatives, but I think your Headmistress duties alongside one class are more than enough. Giving you a first year class is a bit much. Oh, and Lord Vader will be claiming asylum at the school if James comes knocking. So... Let's keep him from asking too many questions." Leaving the flabbergasted huntress to figure out what just happened, he hurried to catch up with the much taller Darth Vader.

Vader stopped outside of the waiting area were Neo and the twins were being kept, hesitating with his hand outsretched to open the door. Why did he automatically agree to take the twins as well? They may have been good fighters, but they had nothing to do with him. It was just an automatic response... But why? A flicker of fear from Neo made him push the thoughts away as quickly as they appeared, and he forged ahead. Almost as soon as he opened the door, a pink and brown blur slammed into him. He had to bend slightly to see a Neo clutching to his leg and cape. What the stang?

A soft chuckle from one of the twins made him look up. The white twin grinned and nodded at Neo, "Well, it looks like someone likes you. The name's Melanie, and this is my sister Miltiades. Everyone just calls her Miltia, so now you know."

Vader frowned, unconsiously resting a gloved hand on Neo's head. "So, you thought it was a good idea to insert yourself into my accords with the Headmaster?"

Miltia cleared her throat, stopping her sister from speaking, "We're sorry, Lord Vader. We saw an opportuity to get out of Junior's club and decided to take the chance. I'm guessing tat if you're here with Neo, then you accepted the Headmaster's deal?" She bit her lip, looking at the Sith Lord hopefully.

Vader sighed, a sound that wasn't transmitted through the sythesizer. "Yes, child. I accepted the deal. You, your sister, and Neo are now under my care. Oh, by the moons of Endor... That means.."

Melanie grinned, popping a piece of bubblegum in her mouth. "Yup, thank's for the assist. Pops."

 _ **Well, I actually had a bit of fun writing this one. As you can see, Vader is already working on a way to contact the Empire and Ozpin is trying to change Vader. What neither of them know, is that the events of that day will have untold reprecussions.**_

 _ **Now, what sort of pairings do you want? Neo isn't the psychotic, ice cream loving, murderer we know anymore, so that will definitely change things. But I still want to throw the ships in the sea! Give me your thoughts, and I'll send some pulled pork MRE's your way. The est ones. Trust me!**_

 _ **In other news, I will be rewriting Black Rose. I know, I know. A lot of you ave been waiting to see what happens in the story. Unfortunately, I've just been away from it for too long. Don't worry though. I'm reworking the entire story to fit together a little better.**_

 _ **Oh, and to anyone who plays Destiny! If you ever encounter a random Awoken Warlock at the Reef or anywhere the House of Wolves frequent, and she doesn't have a gamer tag, then say hello! That's Stella! Apparently, the guys at Bungie thought my Guardian was pretty creative, and decided to put her as a sort of easter egg in the game! I haven't been able to play Destiny due to IET, but I was still excited to hear it!**_


	5. Settling In

_**Hello again, my faithful readers. Your resident soldier has returned with another installment of my best story yet (in my not so humble opinion). Before we begin, I thought I should answer a few questions I noticed in the reviews.**_

 _ **Concerning Vader's prosthetics. There will be a time where they are inspected, but Ozpin will consider the mechanics to be relatively primitive to the technology used by Remnant. He will be offered an upgrade and a chance to be rid of the life support suit, but decline it. After a particularly devestating grimm attack, he will be forced to have several parts replaced, in which the doctors (and one mechanic) will decide to fix him up entirely. Or at least as far as he can go.**_

 _ **Concernin Vader's Dark Side: It's still there, trust me. Vader, while an excellent teacher, is still cruel, and may lash out if angered. Lucky for him though, he's at a combat school. Meaning no one would bat an eye for being a harsh disciplinarian, so long as he didn't kill the students. There will however, be a scene to shine more light on the potential problem this can cause.**_

 _ **Now on to the story: I do not own RWBY or Star Wars, those go to Monty Oum and Lucas Arts/Disney respectively.**_

Chapter 4: Settling In

Darth Vader scrutinized is living quarters carefully, trying to find some sort of trick. Despite him being an alien, military commander, Ozpin had been quite accommodating. The headmaster had not only granted his requests while asking for little in return, but had also giving him an on campus apartment that would easily accomodate him and the three children placed in his charge. A wave of pop music coming from the twins's quarters filtered through the walls, making him frown irritably. Speaking of which... The dark lord stalked out of his room, sweeping through the apartment before reaching the twins' room. With a simple wave of his hand, the door opened for him, and he ducked inside. The twin yelps of surprise at his imposing figure suddenly appearing in the room brought an amused smirk to his face. Using the Force to lower the volume on Melanie's radio, he turned to the white twin, "I do not care if you listen to music, but do so at a volume that doesn't wake up the other residents of this complex." He paused, finally taking time to look at the rather appalling state of the girls' room. Several suitcases ad been emptied of their contents and strewn across the room, clothes hung haphazardly in a closet, and multiple stacks of books ad sprung up around the room. Vader would have assumed that Melanie, the brash, sarcastic twin, was responsible for the mess, until he noticed that her side of the room was spotless... While the other side was a whirlwind of blood red. Slowly, he turned to the true culprit, who was peeking over a pile of sheets and blankets on an unmade bed. "Miltiades... We have been here for only seven standard hours... How the stang did you manage to do this?"

Miltia ducked her head sheepishly and picked at her blankets, while her twin snickered and commented slyly, "They never suspect the quiet ones..."

Vader sighed, ignoring Melanie's snide comment, "Miltiades, please keep your quarters clean, especially when under someone else's roof. And Melanie, keep the volume down to a manageable level. We are all here under questionable circumstances, meaning all eyes are on us."

Melanie snorted in disbelief and muttered, "You mean all eyes are on you, old man."

Vader turned a cold gaze on the sarcastic girl, "No... All of us. The Deputy Headmistress wished for you to attend classes at Beacon Academy, but did not have a feasible excuse to let you in until now. You are being watched, whether you know it or not." The Sith Lord left the confused twins without an another word, closing the door behind him. Shaking his head, he began making his way to the school infirmary, leaving the apartment. He was sure this was some twisted punishment for his past. The question was still in his mind as to why he had saved Neo, but he could simply pass it off as curiosity in her connection to the Force. But why had he agreed to take in the twins? They were never part of his plans, despite how sparse said plans may have been. Then again, he never planned on crashing a Super Star Destroyer into a black hole. He almost chuckled as an old memory floated to the surface of his mind. Two Jedi, one Padawan, a chancellor, and their modified astromech sitting in the bridge of the front half of a destroyed CIS cruiser, having just landed it without any thrusters. Of course, he would have been the one to fl _anything_ into a black hole.

As his heavy footsteps echoed through the empty halls of the academy, his mind began to drift further into the murky depths of his tortured mind. All the way back to the Jedi Temple. So peaceful... So calm... So full of lies. He clenched his fists tightly, shaking the images from his head. Now was not the time to take a stroll down memory lane. He had to concentrate on surviving long enough to contact the Empire... and to train his possible apprentice.

"Troubled thoughts, Mr. Vader?"

Vader twitched, turning slightly to see Professor Goodwitch falling into step with him. After a brief moment of stunned confusion, he remembered that he was no longer dealing with Imperials. "My title is Lord, Professor Goodwitch... And my thoughts are none of your concern."

Glynda raised an eyebrow at the cyborg's blunt response, "As Deputy Headmistress, it is my job to ensure that the staff here of of sound mind. You must have killed nearly a hundred people in less than twenty four hours if recent news reports are to be believed. I don't know of anyone who can kill that much, so quickly, and not be-"

"How many sentients have you killed, Professor?"

"I-I beg your pardon?" Glynda looked shocked by the abrupt question. "What sort of question is that?"

"A question that I wish for you to answer, Professor. How many sentients have you killed?"

The telekinetic woman frowned, deciding to play along with the conversation. She thought back to the human faunus war, where se had been forced to kill several faunii who wished to harm the school. "Six... total. And each day I wish I could have-"

"I do not need the story, Professor. Just the answer." Vader crossed his arms as they walked, looking dead ahead. "I am the commander of an intergalactic fleet of warships and have been fighting a war for several decades. I have lost count of how many _billions_ have died by my orders, and how many thousands I have killed with my own hands. Do not think you can lecture an the veteran of two interstellar wars on what he should feel when killing someone. The men who died either refused to let me pass, or wanted to kill me. They declared themselves my enemies and my enemies have a tendency to die very quickly."

Glynda paled, realizing the massive mistake Ozpin may have made. She knew by his story earlier that he had been some sort of warlord out there in the "galaxy," but to this extent? He could only be described as a monster! She cleared her throat, "And... what exactly warrants that much death and destruction. What sort of war is the Galactic Empire fighting?"

"A group of insurgents who labeled themselves as the Rebel Alliance has begun attacking imperial targets, waging bloody war across the galaxy. The Empire has only recently declared a state of war against the Rebellion, but the damage has been done. The death toll already numbers in the trillion or both civilian and imperial troops, and the Rebels continue slaughtering us despite our best efforts to maintain peace and order across all worlds. But they will not succeed." Vader clenched his fists, the gears whirring slightly as he did. "The Empire shall wipe the rebel scum from the galaxy and remain victorious."

Glynda filed the information about the Rebel Alliance away for later use, mabe if Vader managed to contact his Empire, then she could find the Rebellion and send out a call for help. "Of course, Mr. Vader. I assume you are out wandering the corridors to find Miss Politan, correct? The infirmary is right here... Oh, you... how did you know where she was? Neither Ozpin or I showed you where the infirmary was."

Vader paused by the entrance to turn back to the Deputy Headmistress, "Neo's Force signature lead me here, Professor. That is all I needed." With that, he left Glynda standing outside in confusion.

After a few brief moments, she shook her head and hurried to Ozpin's office to tell him what she had learned.

Vader's cold, harsh breathing echoed in the nearly empty infirmary, causing the pink haired nurse slumped over her desk to stir slightly in her sleep. Vader ignored her, moving quickly down the two rows of beds to the one near the end. As he rounded the curtains, he was relieved to see Neo looking around sleepily, blinking her eyes. The Sith Lord pulled a chair over to her bedside, sitting down stiffly. "Neo, how are you feeling?" He waited patiently or her to answer, only to realize by er pained look that something was wrong. "Are you okay? Do you need me to get the woman at the desk?"

He was relieved to to see her shake her head, but confused as to why she wasn't actually answering him. After a moment, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but only managed to whisper out a single, harsh croak. He grimaced under the helmet, realizing her vocal cords may have been damaged during whatever ordeal she had gone through. Or, hopefully, she had ust screamed herself raw. Either way, that was going to make things difficult in terms of communication. He sighed, shaking his head, "Do not speak if you are unable to. It is pointless to sit here and listen to unintelligible nonsense. Speak when ou are ready in the future. For now, let me do the talking. You can respond in whatever way you feel possible." Vader glanced back at the nurse, feeling her stir in her sleep. After she muttered softly and let out a soft snore, he continued. "I am Darth Vader, High Commander of the Imperial Fleet and second in command to Darth Sidious, the emperor and my master. Along with that, I am what is known as a Sith. A sentient who can access The Force, the Dark Side of the Force, to be more specific." He frowned at the sudden pang of fear released by the young teen, and shook his head. "The Dark Side of the Force is not evil. It is merely an extension of the Force that relies on one's emotions to increase Force Potential. There is a risk of losing yourself, just like any other source of power, but using it does not make you inherently evil."

 _Is that so? And what of the padawans you murdered? Was that an act of kindness?_

Vader froze, struggling to keep his composure for a moment as the memory of that blue blade in his hands... The screams of children as they were cut or shot down mercilessly. He had been following orders then... Protecting the fledgling empire from the corrupt Jedi Order. A soft pulse of concern pulled him from the horrific memories and he opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them. Neo looked at him, her now brown eyes soft with worry. She pointed at the nurse, a question clear in her expression. _Are you hurt? Do you need a nurse?_

Slowly, Vader unclenched his fists, shaking his head. "No, child... I am... fine. Just ghosts from the past. Moving along, it's time to say what I came to this infirmary for. There's a reason I decided to take you along tonight, and it wasn't just from mercy. I can feel potential in you, Miss. Politan. Force Potential. Because of that, I want to see if you could possibly be apprentice material. Of course, I won't force you into anything. We don't even know if you can fully access the force. _So,_ " He emphasized his next word to stop Neo, who looked like she was about to try and ask a silent question. "I will be observing you, teaching you slightly in both lightsaber and minor force techniques. Would that be acceptable?"

Neo frowned slightly, her eyes turning pink and white now. Vader was pleased to feel a small amount of suspiscion. Good, the girl wasn't a gullible child. Granted, she did just go through hell and back, but it still wouldn't do for Vader to have an unquestioningly loyal apprentice. An apprentice that did everything the master did would never learn. It was traditional for the best apprentices to get into all sorts of trouble. Eventually, she nodded and held out her hand to shake. Vader chuckled, realizing she was trying to figure out how he made deals like this. Deciding to humor her, he gently took her hand, enjoying her suprise as she felt the cybernetics under the black leather. After that, he stood up and bowed slightly, Acolyte Politan, I will be back tomorrow to check up on you. We have a few weeks until school, and even if I cannot make you an apprentice, you will still be ready to participate in classes. So, prepare to work hard, Politan. I will accept nothing but your best."

The Sith Lord turned swept through the infirmary, his cloak billowing behind him with a small twist of the force. A small smile crossed his face as the young girl behind him suddenly began to feel very nervous. THat was good as well. Fear was a powerful tool in molding potential apprentices. As he passed by the nurse, he noticed that she was slowly waking up. Stopping short of the door, he spoke to her, "I expect her to be ready to perform light to moderate exercise tomorrow. I will be rather displeased if she isn't."

The nurse opened her mouth to object, only to feel something blocking her throat. She clutched at the invisible fingers that were halfway strangling her, gasping for air.

Vader slowly turned around, his hand raised slightly in a claw, "Do not choke on your words, Nurse Joy. Just do as I say, and everything will be fine." With that, he dropped his hand, allowing the nurse to breath with a ragged, harsh rattle. Ignoring her pain, he left her and made his way back to the apartment he had been allowed. After pausing to ensure that the twins had actually gone to sleep, he arrived at his own quarters. Once there, he reached behind him and pulled the spare lightsaber he had taken from a fallen Jedi off of his belt and held it in his hands. It was a smaller lightsaber, designed for a regular sized human with a one handed technique... But for his new acolyte, it would work perfectly. He pressed the activation button, feeling the hilt buck slightly as a bright blue beam of light shone forth. Nodding in satisaction, he deactivated it and began adusting the hilt and blade to work for his rather diminutive student.

*** _Elsewhere***_

Corescant, Emperor's Palace

The stormtrooper hurried through the palace, breathing heavily. A message had just been recieved. One that would be of great interest to his emperor. As he approached the red guard surrounding the emperor's throne room entrance, he slid to a halt and came to attention, "Alert the emperor immediately. We have just recieved word of Lord Vader's death!"

 _ **And there we have it! The empire finally learns of Vader's supposed death. How they will react to this news? Stay tuned to find out!**_

 _ **Honestly though, this is my first cliffhanger, so I'm sorry if it's shit. Also, Neo won't be alone for this torture. The twins are joining her for the physical part, so they'll have their fair share of bruises. As for that one guy wanting White Knight as a pairing, that's a no go. Juane is reserved for our resident greek spartan. I think I'll have her fall for... Weiss. That sounds fun.**_

 _ **As for the updates, I'm sorry to say that the previous schedual has been cancelled due to a loss of files. I will be focusing on this story until I can recover them.**_


	6. Decisions are Made, and

_**Hello, once again! Sorry for the delay! Work is sorta killing me out here... Thanks for being somewhat patient with me while I get things organized on my end. I hope you enoy the chapter. And for those of you who were wondering how I was going to put Admiral Thrawn into the mix, look no further than this chapter!**_

Chapter 5 :Decisions are Made, and Battles are Fought

Coruscant, Imperial Throne Room

"What do you mean, 'Dead'?" Emperor Sheev Palpatine, ruler of the Galactic Empire and Darth Vader's Sith Lord master, leaned forward in his chair, glaring at the Imperial Envoy with yellow eyes. The two Red Guards flanking the envoy moved away subtly, not wanting to be caught in the Emperor's rather unpredictable Sith Lightning.

"M-my Lord... The research station Lord Vader was escorting said they encountered a rouge black hole, and that his flagship was caught in the Event Horizon once the hyperdrive was deactivated. The report stated that the Executor attempted a gravity assist by using it's hyperdrives and lying under the black hole, but failed to achieve the necessary velocity to escape. The Executor was confirmed destroyed five hours ago. Nothing remained after encountering the black hole..."

Palpatine frowned, mulling over the news. Darth Vader, once Anakin Skywalker, had been his linchpin in taking control of the Galactic Empire and destroying the Jedi Order. While that was certainly admirable, the cybernetic man had become... weak. He could almost be considered useless if it weren't for his prowess on the battlefield. He could easily be more powerful than his master, if he had taken the upgrades offered to him. Of course, had he taken the first offer, it would have resulted in his immediate death. But the second offer, where Palpatine had actually recommended the upgrade... He still reused, meaning his past still held him down. Palpatine had already been considering choosing a new apprentice. This was just another reason to do so... "Tell the Galactic Senate that an emergency meeting is to be convened in one week. And then make the announcement that Lord Vader has died. I will be awarding him for his service at the emergency meeting and presenting my new leader for the imperial fleet. You are dismissed."

The envoy nearly collapsed at the Emperor's word, stunned that the man wasn't about to murder him. However, he managed to keep his bearing long enough to bow and beat a hasty retreat. Once outside, he nearly sprinted away from the throne room to deliver his message.

The emperor sat in silence for a long time following the absence of the envoy. He raised a single hand, gesturing for one of his royal guardsmen to come forward, "Contact Admiral Thrawn... Tell him that Darth Vader has abandoned the Empire and fled into the unknown regions of the galaxy. He is to be killed on sight. Give him whatever supplies he requires and make it appear as an exploratory expedition..." He paused, an idea forming in his mind. "And have Gallius Rax report to me."

Remnant, Unknown Regions of the Galaxy. Beacon Academy

Vader swept through the halls of Beacon Academy, trailed by the Malachite twins. He had just finished with Neo's training saber, and realized that it was nearly noon for the planet. The perfect time to begin training.

Melanie groans loudly, half dragging her feet. "Hey, what's the big idea? Why are we up so early after just getting here? I get that you're some sort of alien, but we humans need sleep."

Vader didn't even bother looking back as he turned the corner, narrowly avoiding flattening a rabbit eared girl as he moved, "I am human as well, Miss Malachite. However, you and your sister have been sleeping all day, giving you at least six hours of sleep." He quickly froze in place, grabbing the rabbit girl's shoulder to keep her from crashing into him. "Slow down there, youngling... Who are you, and what is your rush?"

The Remnant native swallowed nervously, looking up at Vader with wide eyes, "I uh.. Professor Ozpin... sent me to..."

"We're your escorts for a little bit until your probationar period is up," Vader looked up to see a taller human girl wearing sunglasses and a rather ridiculous outfit. "The name's Adel, Coco Adel. I'm the leader of team CFVY. That girl there is Velvet Scarletina, my partner. I assume you're going to the infirmary?"

Vader released the rabbit girl, who darted behind Coco, "Yes... Might I inquire as to why Ozpin thought it wise to send students to guard me?"

Coco shrugged, slinging a rather heavy looking case over her back, "Ah, I don't know. I doubt you could really do much harm, but why would I argue that point? I'm getting a paycheck out of this. C'mon, Velvet. Let's go see this girl Mr. Dark-and-Mysterious is so interested in."

Vader watched the duo curiously as they headed towards the infirmary. It was strange, not having people fear him as the warmongering Imperial Commander. The Velvet girl had a healthy fear of him, but that was more due to his rather intimidating appearance. While it may be annoying when Goodwitch refused to show fear, the fact that he could walk amongst the regular populace and only catch a wary eye was rather refreshing. He chuckled, shaking his head and continuing on his original path. The nurse jumped at her desk when Vader marched into the room, clutching at her throat fearfully. SHe breathed a sigh of relief as Vader passed her by, barely sparing a second glance at her.

Professor Ozpin stood by Neo, who was wearing a spare Beacon Uniform to replace her ruined clothes from the previous night. She hopped to attention as Vader came close, trying to hide the pain she still felt. Ozpin stepped in front of the girl, clearing his throat, "Lord Vader, please, Miss Politan is still recovering. She shouldn't be straining herself."

Vader stopped, glowering at Ozpin, "I thought I told you I was taking Alcolyte Politan as my apprentice. I am her master, and you have no say in the matter, Headmaster. Move aside, before I make you."

Ozpin refused to move, gripping his cane tightly, "I'm sorry, Vader. I cannot allow you to further injure this girl."

Vader considered the man carefully, weighing his options. He could easily overpower the native with the element of surprise, but that wouldn't look good for him. After a moment, an idea sprung up in his mind. "Very well, I shall not begin the physical aspect of the training just this moment. However, you just volunteered for a demonstration, Headmaster. Meet me in the main courtyard of the school." Vader did a sharp about face, leaving the infirmary, taking the twins with him.

Coco frowned, glancing at Ozpin, "Sir, did he just... challenge you to a duel?"

Ozpin nodded gravely, following Vader, "Yes. I believe he did. Come down to the courtyard, and bring Miss Politan with you. It's time we see a little of what Mr. Vader is capable of."

FoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoC

Vader stood stiffly in the middle of Beacon's courtyard, not moving a single muscle as Ozpin and a small entourage trooped through the archways. Vader raised an eyebrow at the small crowd, immediately picking out the various teachers and staff. Well, it seemed that Ozpin expected some sort of show. He probably thought he culd defeat the dark lord and show his dominance... Or he really was senile.

Ozpin stepped out of the crowd, smiling gently, "Well, Mr. Vader, I am guessing that you wish to fight? Probably to show Miss Politan what she will be learning?"

"Indeed. And here are the rules. The only time this fight ends is if the opponent is unable to continue. I recommend nonlethal attacks, but that is up to you..." Vader didn't bother moving as Ozpin nodded, settling into a ready stance with his cane pointing at Vader. Good, he understood that this fight was going to be very real...

Ozpin scrutinized the alien "Sith Lord," a tad confused at his lack of movement, but ready to fight nonetheless. The aura master flooded his limbs with aura, about to attempt a rush attack. Only to stumble and fall as the air rushed from his lungs and an unseen force pushed his legs out from under him. Then he was lifted into the air, struggling to force air into his lungs. He watched as Vader slowly walked towards him, his left hand raised in a claw shape. He was about two metres away when he suddenly thrust his hand out, throwing Ozpin through the air and pinning him to a stone pillar.

"Pay attention, Alcolyte Politan. This is a small portion of the Force, but it is one of your advantages over most opponents. With it, you can sense when your opponent is about to attack, and when they are powering up for an energy based attack." Vader flicked his hand to the side, tossing Ozpin to the ground and returning to his original position. The Sith Lord observed the human native for a moment, taking not of how he had not been injured despite the severity of his impacts. "Impressive. Your aura is an excellent defense. However, it is no match for the power of the Force."

Ozpin chuckled as he pulled himself up, staggering slightly, "Yes, I already realized that. However, while you may be immune to one on one attacks, I feel that you are lacking in another area. Team CFVY, a demonstration, if you will."

Vader had little to no time to process the unusual statement, when a hail of bullets tore the ground apart in front of him. The sith lord leapt high into the air, immediately locking onto the sunglasses girl carrying a large minigun. But before he could use the Force to tear the weapon away from her, something slammed into his back with tremendous power, forcing him back down. He stumbled as he landed, turning to see a blind boy with elbow blades landing next to a much taller compainion with a massive blade. Coco casually strolled up next to her team, a smug smirk on her face.

"So, you got a telekinesis semblance? Too bad our combatives instructor has the same thing. Fox, you're up. I got your back."

Vader watched with mild interest as the white eyed boy immediately charged him. While fast, he was hardly capable of keeping up with- Vader's lightsaber flared into existance, deflecting a hail of bullets flew at him, deflecting them as fast as he could. Sithspit! Why couldn't a platoon of 501st soldiers have landed with him!? He finally rolled out of the way as Fox streaked past him, narrowly missing the man's helmeted head. As he passed, Vader lashed out with a metal foot, sending him careening across the stoneworks.

"Fox!" Coco called out worriedly to her team mate, ceasing her fire for a moment to check on him. That's when Vader struck. All that could be seen of him was a black and red blur as he used Force Surge to attack Coco with a brutal overhand blow. He was mildly surprised when the attack was halted by the boy with the massive blade, but not overly concerned.

"I ffeel your fear, boy. It makes you weak." The Sith Lord almost laughed when the old tactic worked on the heavy set boy, who looked at him in stunned confusion as he released one hand from the saber hilt and dealt a swift uppercut that threw him off balance. Vader then followed up with a force blast, sending him tumbling into Coco. A twinge in the force caused him to turn around and defend just as the Fox boy attempted to attack from behind, a snarl of rage on his face. "Good... Use your anger. Let it fuel your power. Why aren't you the leader of this team? You obviously seem the most qualified..."

Fox stumbled back as the Force Manipulation tried to take hold, "What? I.. what are you doing to me?" The boy didn't have a chance as Vader swiftly picked him up with one hand and threw him into his team. Then he turned around and glared at Velvet, daring the rabbit girl to do something. She just swallowed and raised her hands in defeat.

Vader straightend up, turning his laser gaze upon Ozpin, who looked at him with a stunned expression, "Your students are impressive, Headmaster. As are your tactics. However, in the future, try to keep a semblance of honor in a match. Otherwise, I might not have my saber on it's training setting."

Vader deactivated his saber, gesturing for Neo and the twins to follow him, "Come along, children. Neo, we are going to begin with a few simple meditation techniques to try and help your body heal. Twins... I think it's time we gave you a little strength training."

Coco groaned slightly as her team mates got off of her, standing up dizzily, "Headmaster... What the fuck was that?"

Glynda cleared her throat, about to admonish the young woman, but was halted when Ozpin held up a hand, "That, Miss Adel, is an excellent question. You should run along and get to the infirmary. I'm sure your aura didn't fare well during that little match."

Glynda glared at Ozpin as the team left, "Are you absolutely insane? THat man is a monster! Don't you remember what I told you last night? He's killed thousands, maybe _millions_ of people, and you want to hire him on like it's nothing? He just picked you up without using aura and nearly brainwashed one of our students with a few words!"

Ozpin merely nodded, heading back towards the school, "And yet... He did not harm them. Oh, they may have a few bumps and bruises, but that's to be expected at a combat school. I believe there is more to this man than meets the eye."

Glynda stood there, dumbfounded. What in the world was Ozpin trying to do!?

FoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoCFoC

 _ **Well, that was certainly interesting! We got to see a little of Vader's abilities when compared to aura, and Neo is about to begin her training. There will be a small time skip in the next chapter, but not by much. Neo will essentially have recovered enough to beging physical training alongside the Malachite twins. That way she can begin learning how to fight. Her style won't have changed much, barring the fact that she'll be using a lightsaber instead of a parasol. But the acrobatics and smugness will definitely be there.**_

 _ **In other news, while I may not be able to recover the in-progress chapters for my other stories, I did come up for a little inspiration for Black Rock Witch, although I may need to title it a bit differently... The pairing is still Rock and Harry, but... ah, never mind. Black Rock Witch it is! I'll be working on the first chapter tomorrow.**_

 _ **Oh, and in case you were wondering about Vader's duck and roll manuever in the fight, this entire ordeal takes place in the months leading up to Rogue One, meaning Vader has had some time to become used to his cybernetic body.**_


	7. Chapter 6: The Plot Thickens

_**Hello, my lovely readers. Your local soldier here, with another installment of Force of Change! I decided to leap headlong into Neo's training, so things are about to get brutal. With very little time until the start of term, will Vader be able to whip the girls into shape so they can be on par with the rest of the student body? Let's find out!**_

 _ **As usual... I do not own RWBY or Star Wars. They belong to RoosterTeeth and LucasArts respectively. I do, however, own a rather nice stunt saber modeled after Darth Malgus's blade. Soo... Yeah. I'm a nerd.**_

Chapter 6: The Plot Thickens

Neo gave a silent yelp of terror as Master Vader swung his crimson blade down in a punishing overhand blow, causing her knees to buckle and sending her tumbling to the ground. She froze as the glowing shaft flicked down to her throat, signaling the end of the spar.

Vader sighed, the noise inaudible because of his voice modulator, "Acolyte Politan, your defense is too rigid. You cannot hope to best your opponent with strength. Not yet at least." He shook his head and deactivated his saber, walking away. They had been training for a week now, and his acolyte was showing no improvement. She held too much fear to access the Force, and her blade work... it was horrendous. A giggle broke his train of thought, and he turned to see Melanie looking at him with an odd expression on her face. "What do you want, Malachite?"

She shrugged her shoulders, inspecting her nails, "You're teaching her wrong. She's trying to imitate your style of swordplay, which is obviously more of a strength based tactic. Do you know off any more fluid attack types? You already know she can't fight like you, so it wo-"

Vader held up his hand, silencing her. As soon as she said it, he recalled two old enemies. A sith and night sister. Count Dooku had the perfect blade style, with flourishes and blindingly fast stabs... And Asajj Ventress, the assassin and one of the few non-sith who could take on both orders at the same time. "I believe I have an idea of what you are saying, girl. Thank you. Acolyte Politan, please come with me."

The dejected ice cream themed girl picked herself up off the ground, glaring silently at the now deactivated saber hilt in her hands. She had made no headway against the massive tower of black armour, and it was beginning to make her angry.

"Acolyte Politan!"

She looked up, turning her glare at her master, who didn't even react. He gestured for her to follow him, turning and moving towards the fountain in the main courtyard. Reluctantly, she followed the Sith Lord, going into a slight jog to catch up.

Vader stared at the fountain for what seemed like an eternity to Neo, who was eventually calmed by the sound of trickling water. Vader must have sensed it, because he turned towards her, "Acolyte Politan, you cannot let your anger and fear get the best of you. As a Sith, they are your weapons, but they are also your greatest weakness. Learn to control them, before they control you. Do you understand?"

Neo nodded at him, still slightly bitter at suffering defeat so many times.

"No, you do not. Not yet. But in time, you shall..." He frowned under his helmet, feeling a spike of mild hatred flare up from Neo. He rolled his eyes and sat down on the ground. "Sit." When she refused to do so out of spite, he forced her down with a slight tug. "I said sit down, child... I understand you are frustrated. Getting nowhere can do that to anyone. However, you need to learn from you mistakes. Now, what was the last thing I told you after the spar?"

She frowned, knowing he was telling her to speak instead of using gestures... But it hurt to do so. After a sharp glare his direction (again, he refused to react), she opened her mouth and spoke with a harsh rasp, "You told me... my defense... was rigid. That I... wasn't... strong."

"No, I said you weren't strong enough to use brute strength to win a fight. Not yet at least. Unfortunately, I have failed you in that aspect. I have been teaching you Djem So, which is made to use strength to overpower your opponent quickly. You cannot afford that... So I'm going to teach you something else." Vader smiled slightly as he noticed her bad mood lighten considerably. "However, first I need to teach you the dangers of allowing your anger to best you... Miltia, Melanie, you may sit with us as well." He barely glanced at the two girls as they poked their heads out from behind a pillar.

"Damn, that Force stuff is pretty good." Melanie shook her head ruefully as she plopped down on the fountain with her sister. "So what happened to you, Mr. Dark and Mysterious?"

Vader finally shot an annoyed glare at the girl, before sighing, "Years ago, when I first became a Sith Lord, I fought a battle. It was a battle I would not win... and one where I would lose everything. It took place on the lava planet of Mustafar, just after I had killed the leaders of a Separatist faction attempting to overthrow the government. My former master was part of another faction known as the Jedi Order... As was I. However, my current master was able to let me see the truth, and I joined him to protect the government." He paused slightly as the lie took hold. Then he shook his head and continued.

"I fought the man who I once considered a brother, my rage fueling my power. Our fight felt like it was hours long, but in reality it was maybe fifteen minutes. I was the unstoppable force, and he the immovable object. And he found me wanting. I could never best him in a duel, and he knew it. He told me to give up. That he was going to win and that it ws best to surrender... But my rage at his betrayal... at him turning my wife against me! I wanted him dead! I still do! But the coward fled... but not after doing this to me." He pressed several buttons and switches on his chest panel, diverting airflow to allow him to remove his helmet. The black dome unsealed with a sharp hiss, and he carefully removed it, followed by the mask. All three girls looked at him in horror, seeing the broken man beneath the mask.

"He removed my legs and remaining arm, which had been lost in a previous duel, and left me to die on that planet. Burnt alive by the molten river, barely two foot from my skin. I lost because I let my anger control me..." He replaced the mask and helmet quickly, having spent his air speaking. "You must remember to never let that happen to you. Now, Neo, are you ready to learn a new way to use a lightsaber?" He stood up slowly, pulling a surprised Neo to her feet at the same time. Then he removed his cloak and folded it, setting it down on the fountain. "You recall our previous sparring sessions, yes? My style is know as Form V, Djem So. It is made to parry blows and then use brutal counterattacks to overwhelm the opponent. However, you need to either be skilled enough to finish the duel in only a few blows, or strong enough to overpower your opponent. While you hav certainly picked Djem So up rather quickly, it just isn't the style for you. However, I think I know exactly what you are suited for. Form II, Makashi. The fencer's technique." With that, he stepped back several paces and settled into a new stance. Unlike Form V, where Vader was well grounded and an immovable pillar of darkness, he kept his weight shifted slightly to the balls of his feet, ready to move at any moment. "Miltiades, Melanie, attack me. Use everything you have."

The twins glanced at each other in confusion, before shrugging and deciding that they didn't really have anything to lose. After all, the saber was on some sort of practice mode, right? Melanie smirked and immediately flew at Vader, aiming a kick at his control panel. At the same time, Miltia shot around him in a red blur, trying to attack him from behind. As one would expect, Melanie reached Vader first, only to find that he was gone. The Sith Lord moved faster than she thought possible, and she had to come to a screeching halt in order to avoid kicking her sister. Miltia spun around, slamming into Melanie with a pained grunt. Melanie opened her mouth to scold her sister, when a bright flare of pain appeared on her back. She spun around to see Vader shaking his finger at her.

"Impressive... But not impressive enough."

The twins growled in unison and attacked him from the front. Vader simply grinned under his Helmet and began dodging the blows with relative ease, blocking only when he had to. His saber was no longer the short red streak of light the girls had seen with Form V, but was now a web of bloodshine, seeming to be everywhere at once. Once again, Miltiades attempted to get behind the Sith Lord and throw a sharp jab to his back, only to have him jump over the twins with a wild spin, hitting her arm with the saber and slamming a heavy boot into Melanie's face. The two girls gave simultaneous shrieks of pain and were thrown back with a small force push. Vader landed with a soft thud and chuckled, "Better... You know how to work together. However, you still have much to learn."

Melanie glared at the alien, rubbing her face before settling into a defensive stance, "You underestimate us, old man!" She screamed and lunged at him, bladed heel ready to strike.

Time seemed to slow down as Miltia reached out for her sister, trying to warn her. Vader flashed back to a similar situation, where he was the one attacking and Count Dooku was the one holding the blood red saber. He sidestepped the kick, slicing down onto the leg with one hand before finishing with a flourish and hitting her neck with a second slice. The girl cried out in pain and collapsed in a heap. She attempted to crawl away weakly, but was overcome by the pain of the two powerful lightsaber blows and curled into a small ball. Vader deactivated his saber and let the other twin rush to her sister's side. He looked at his weapon with a quizzical air before shrugging his indecision off and turning to Neo.

"Makashi, Form II, focuses on defending yourself with minimal effort while placing heavy emphasis on avoiding disarment. In a lightsaber duel... that can be taken literally." He reignited his saber and took up a basic Makashi stance, performing several slow, methodical blade patterns. Leverage, Position, and Advantage. They must become as natural to you as breathing. If you falter, no matter how much skill you have, it will be your downfall. You must be confident in your every movement... Why are you not doing as I do, Acolyte!?"

Vader barked at Neo, causing the young teen to scramble for her lightsaber. She hastily ignited the weapon and mimicked Vader's stance. The Sith Lord nodded, continuing his lecture, "As I was saying, you must be confident with every movement, but do not overestimate yourself. Arrogance has been the downfall for many a Sith Lord and Jedi. And for Force sake... Don't monologue. That gets old, and unnecessary. Not that I think you will ever have a problem with that." He paused, trying to think of his next step. With Ashoka, he actually had help with her training... Other edi taught her the way of the blade, and Obi-Wan helped him teacher her about the Force. The Sith Lord frowned and decided to take a chance. With a small tug, he pulled the Saber out of her hands and deactivated it, clipping it onto his belt. She looked at him fearfully, but didn't move.

"Acolyte Politan, this is your first test. You must avoid my blade and use any means necessary to retrieve your own. It does not matter if you physically take it from me, or use the Force. Begin."

Neo's eyes went wide and she rolled to avoid an overhead slice at her head. The semi-mute girl quickly darted in close to try and grab the hilt of her own blade, only to be knocked away by a force push. She tumbled to the ground several yards away, picking herself up quickly as Vader was soon on her again. How was she supposed to get her blade back!? There was no way Vader was going to let her get close enough to grab the blade, and she doubted anything would knock it off if thrown. Maybe the Force he was always preaching about? Besides the weird meditation stuff they did for the first few days of her training, she had no clue how to use it other than 'clearing her mind.'

She jumped to the side as Vader's blade came crashing down next to her, narrowly avoiding her shoulder. Clear her mind? Yeah, right. How was she supposed to do that?

"Melanie! Miltiades! Attack Neo, NOW!" Vader reached out a clawed hand and dragged the two sisters into the fight, backing out himself and watching as the twins stumbled to a halt and looked at him in confusion. He sneered under the helmet and reached out a second time, placing a small amount of pressure upon each of their throats. "You wished to use me as a vessel into this school? Then I shall train you as well. Do not expect mercy, for that is not the way of the Sith. Attack her. Now."

Miltiades swallowed nervously and then nodded to her sister. Looking towards Neo with an apologetic expression, she lashed out with her claws, narrowly avoiding slicing into her shoulder. Melanie quickly followed suit, throwing a devastating kick at Neo who had leaned away in order to avoid the first attack. The ice cream themed girl was thrown back as the blow hit her stomach. She barely managed to make it to her hands and knees before Melanie was on her again, kicking her in the stomach hard enough to throw her into the air. Miltia was close behind, landing a brutal overhand blow from above. Neo collapsed on the ground, crying silent tears of pain.

 _6 Hours Later_

Neo limped into her quarters, battered and bruised after hours of being torn apart. Sometimes it was Vader who did the attacking, sometimes it was the twins. Every once in a while, Vader would give her a reprise and focus on training the twins in combat, but since the twins had more experience and had better auras than Neo, they suffered less. She staggered into the bathroom, quickly using the sink to support herself. The acolyte stared at the mirror, unable to recognized the bleeding, broken face before her. It was like she never left that torture chamber... At that moment, something inside of her snapped, and she screamed. She screamed at the pain, at the injuries that marred her and the ones who caused them, at the _bitch_ who tortured her for weeks on end, and most of all, at her own _weakness._ But it wasn't grief she was feeling. No, it was rage. White hot and more intense than any brand that had touched her skin. and with it came something new. Power, something different from her aura. She could feel it running under her skin, see it flickering through the air, focusing on the mirror. Without warning, the mirror shattered, and her scream was cut short. She stared at the shattered glass in surprise and confusion, wondering what she had done. She reached out tentatively towards the pile of shards, wanting to touch them to make sure what she was seeing was real. Slowly, one of the shards began trembling and sliding towards her, shakily drifting through the air. Neo stared, wide eyed at the floating piece of glass, before it dropped to the ground and broke in two.

 _Darth Vader's Quarters._

Vader smiled under his helmet as he looked down from a window overlooking the school grounds, feeling a massive spike of rage emanate from Neo's quarters followed closely by an upwelling of Force power. Good... He disliked beating children, especially one as weak as Neo, but he had to admit... It got results quickly. Now it was time to reign that anger in, maybe he would alternate between meditative session where she tried to summon the saber when stationary, and less intensive sparring matches. He was pulled from his musings as the twins barged into his quarters. He turned around to see Melanie looking at him with righteous anger, with her sister holding a similar, but more cautious expression.

"What the hell was that all about, old man!? Neo was lucky not to have broken any bones today!"

Vader stood there as she ranted and raved for several minutes, calling him every name under the sun and quite a few that even he didn't know. He raised an eyebrow at some of the more creative ones before silencing her with a slight pulse of Force Manipulation. "Silence, you impudent child. Acolyte Politan is being groomed to be my apprentice. I will not have a weakling for a student. She is doing perfectly fine, if a bit sore. I knew that you would not do anything to permanently harm her, so do not speak of that anymore!"

Miltia spoke up, glaring at Vader, "And what about yourself? I saw you attacking Neo, and you meant to _kill_ her!"

Vader remained silent as his anger grew, becoming almost palpable in the small room. Various objects began shaking as he struggled to keep his considerable temper in check. The twins realized they must have said something wrong, because the began looking around nervously, feeling his anger. "The teachings of the Sith have long been the most brutal in the Galaxy. We do not coddle our students, we push them to their limits. We do not teach them specific techniques, only recommend them and let our students develop their own styles." He picked up his lightsaber and activated it, removing the limiter upon it and tossing it to the girls. "Acolytes often die during training because training sabers and limiters are not used. Had I not used the limiter ring, this is what would have happened had I struck you two or Neo." He slammed the saber down on a metal desk, slicing it in two with no effort at all. The twins looked at the glowing edges where the saber cut with horror.

"Pain is often the most important lesson you can learn, girls. You learn how to not receive it, and instead deliver it. We only have two months until the beginning of this semester, and I need Neo ready to fight alongside the both of you. She needs to be ready to be a match for any of the students that walk through those gates. I am going to push her past every limit she thinks she might have, and then go further. I am going to need your help with that as well, because one teacher will not be enough. She needs someone to fight, to train with, to befriend. Siths... we do not usually consider friendships as something necessary. They make you weak. But here, a friendship will help you succeed as a team."

Miltia was the first to shake off her shock, grabbing her sister and slowly backing away, "Alright, Mr. Vader. We'll do it your way for now..." She paused, picking up a note of smugness in the Sith Lord's posture. "Wait... What did you do?"

Vader shook his head, gesturing for the girls to move aside, "Yes, Acolyte Politan? Did you need something?"

The twins looked behind them to see an extremely nervous Neo fidgeting with what appeared to be the shard of a broken mirror. Melanie frowned, "Neo, did something happen?"

The mute girl nodded, holding out the shard on the flat of her palm. With a small flex of her will, the shard hovered into the air with a shaky motion. The twins looked at her in surprise, then at Vader. Melanie pointed an accusing finger at him, "You knew this was going to happen.

"Correction. I expected it. Two things could have happened really. Either she would have completely given up, and I would have been left with a useless apprentice, or she would have become enraged and broken something after lashing out mentally." He reached out and pulled the shard away from Neo, inspecting it silently. "Girls, go get some supper. You may have the rest of the day off. Neo, I suggest you begin meditating. Try to sharpen your fledgling power." With a final wave to dismiss them, he placed the shard on a nightstand and turned back to the window. The trio looked at each other in confusion, something they seemed to be doing a lot of around Vader, before hurriedly taking the hint and heading down to the cafeteria.

 _Imperial Senate Chambers_

"My fellow Imperials!" Palpatine stood on his platform in the centre of the chambers, gesturing broadly with his hands. "As some of you may have heard, Lord Vader has died. As of one week ago, his flagship was destroyed after being beset by a Rebel ambush. Lord Vader attempted to save his men by ordering them to the escape craft while he manually piloted the flagship, but the merciless monsters calling themselves the Rebellion hunted down every last man and slaughtered them."

He smiled wickedly under his cowl as the senate roared in disapproval, immediately calling for revenge against the rebel scum. "My people, please! There is no need for such violence. Not from us at least." Palpatine gestured to a man in a white Admiral's uniform to his left. "In Lord Vader's death, a new leader is born. I hereby appoint Admiral Gallius Rax to the position of High Commander of the Imperial Fleet and Second in Command of the Empire!"

The senate roared their approval at the sudden replacement, having heard of his military history before the emergency meeting was convened. They knew he would do anything for the Empire."

 _For me, actually..._ The Emperor corrected them silently, before raising his hand to silence them once more. "Now that the initial reason for this meeting has been concluded, I must make another announcement. Admiral Thrawn, recently promoted to Grand Admiral Thrawn, has been sent with his fleet to the unexplored regions of the galaxy on an exploratory expedition to expand our glorious Empire. With his efforts, we may become a true, Galactic Empire!"

 _SSD Chimaera, Edge of Imperial Space_

While the Galactic Senate was busy acting like fools for their puppet master, Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Imperial Fleet sat in his personal quarters, pouring over the reports he was receiving. A week ago, he had received a mission from the Emperor himself to take a fleet into the Unknown Regions and hunt down Vader and the Executor. They had reportedly abandoned the Empire and were subsequently branded traitors. Unfortunately, that just did not sit right with the Chiss admiral, who knew of Vader and his tactics. He had even met the cybernetic man briefly, and knew that he would never willingly betray the Empire. The Emperor, maybe. But he did whatever it would take to secure victory for the Empire, consequences be damned. And while he may not like the man, he still held a begrudging respect for Vader. And now this.

A holonet signal had been intercepted on a Rebel unsecured channel, showing the Emperor not only telling of Vader being dead, but how the rebels slaughtered every soldier on his ship. That was taking it too far for the brilliant tactician, who could never foresee Vader losing to the rebellion in a space battle. It was simply an impossibility. He sighed as a soldier knocked on his door. "Enter..."

The door hissed open to reveal his First Officer, Lieutenant Karyn Faro, "Sir, the fleet has finished final preparations and is ready to enter the Unexplored Regions on your mark."

Thrawn frowned, standing up and walking around his desk, "Yes, of course. I will be on the bridge shortly." He casually strolled out of the room, his hands behind his back.

The lieutenant watched her leader warily, realizing something was up, "Sir... Is something wrong? You seem troubled."

Admiral Thrawn raised an eyebrow, glancing at the young officer, "You are perceptive. Yes, there is something indeed wrong. What it is though... I do not know. Something is amiss in the Empire, and here we are being sent on a wild goose chase, after a man who has just been declared dead by the Emperor himself."

The First Lieutenant worked her jaw, confusion flickering across her face, "Well, s-sir. Maybe we should ask Lord Vader when we find him?"

"Yes... I plan on it."

 _ **Looks like things are starting to heat up already! With Vader's brutal Sith training, Neo has unlocked her force potential, foreshadowing both her Semblance and Sith name at the same time! Fun fact: Vader really does know Makashi, and is in fact a master of the art. So yes, he is qualified to train in it. However, that is not the way of the Sith. He can show her something... But it is up to Neo to utilize it.**_

 _ **Palpatine is also on the move, making strides to gain a new apprentice and remove his old one. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong admiral. Thrawn is much too smart to blindly follow the Emperor. Looks like it's up to him to decide Vader's fate.**_


	8. Secrets, Names, and Beginnings

_**Holy crap, I am sooooo sorry I haven**_ _ **'t updated anything! I swear, I'm doing nothing but writing this week and weekend! I've been procrastinating on these stories so much, it isn't funny! No time to explain! TO THE STORY!**_

Chapter 7: Secrets, Names, and Beginnings.

Beacon Academy Courtyard

Vader stood in front of the fountain, supervising a sparring match between his soon to be Apprentice, Neo Politan, and the two strays he had picked up along with her, Miltiades and Melanie Malachite. It had been three weeks since Neo had first displayed Force Telekinesis, and while she was still rather weak, she had taken to the Force like a Nerf Herder to smuggling. She was using it to slightly enhance her own physical prowess, adding it to a natural agility he hadn't seen since Ventress was around. He wondered for a moment if the night sister was still alive, then shook his head and returned to the match in time to see Neo flip over both twins and land with barely a sound. The twins looked at her with stunned silence, and she gave a little bow, smirking slightly.

"It seems that your apprentice is progressing quite well, Lord Vader."

The Sith Lord twitched slightly, looking down to see Ozpin standing next to him. In the past month he had been on the planet, Ozpin had grown surprisingly adept at hiding his Force signature from Vader, making it difficult to keep track of him. He grumbled inaudibly behind his mask, before speaking directly to the Headmaster, "She isn't my apprentice yet."

Ozpin blinked in confusion, "What do you mean? You're training her, right?"

"Correction, I am grooming her. In order to become an apprentice, you must pass the first task assigned to you. Right now, Acolyte Politan must retrieve the practice saber strapped to my hip. Eventually, she will progress to building her own, but that will require a ship that can carry me to a planet with Kyber Crystals so she can pass her Rite of Passage. I-"

Both men paused as the saber hilt suddenly shot from Vader's hip, flying into Neo's outstretched hands. Both men looked at the diminutive girl, Ozpin's expression of amusement countering Vader's shocked aura.

Ozpin chuckled, taking a sip from his mug, "Well, I suppose that settles it then. What is it you like to say about the Sith? Oh yes, Treachery is the Way of the Sith. Looks like Neo here saw her chance and took it."

Vader glared at the headmaster, who laughed and headed back to the school. Then he turned his gaze on Neo, who was smirking at him with the saber hilt held tightly in her hands, "Well... I suppose I did say to use any means necessary. Congratulations, Apprentice."

Neo's eyes lit up, and she grinned broadly, "Master... Vader. What about... my name?"

Vader raised an eyebrow, considering her question. He had told the three girls of the Sith naming tradition. While he had been considering her sith name for some time now, he did not think she was ready for that yet. However... "You are not worthy of the title Darth yet, my apprentice. This is your second task. Defeat an entire team of huntsmen, and then you will have earned your name."

Melanie sputtered, giving Vader an incredulous look, "You want her to do _what!?"_

Vader growled, sending a weak wave of Force Telekinesis at the girl, knocking her off her feet, "Did I stutter, Malachite? A Sith is supposed to be the strongest warrior in the galaxy. If she cannot defeat a four man team of non-Force users, then she is of no use to me!"

Melanie opened her mouth to deliver a sharp retort, but stopped when Neo grabbed her hand. The semi-mute girl shook her head, telling her to be quiet. Vader nodded his thanks to his new apprentice, only to pause when he felt a collection of life forms approaching at relatively high speeds. He looked up in time to see several large airships flying towards beacon. The sith lord checked the time on Beacon's clock tower and cursed. He had forgotten that the new students would be coming in today, "Girls, go wash up and get to the main hall for orientation."

The trio grinned at each other and turned to make a break for it, stumbling when Vader reached out with the Force, "And one more thing, this time for the twins. From now on, you will address me as Lord or sir in public, and Professor in class. You are under the guardianship of a Dark Lord of the Sith, and I expect you to act like it."

The twins grumbled their assent, before taking off after Neo, who used the Force to give herself a head start. Vader sighed, crossing his arms and watching them go. He almost failed to notice a singular organism racing at him faster than a proton torpedo. His hand reached down to his saber, drawing it and igniting it in time for Professor Bartholomew Oobleck to come to a sudden halt inches from the red blade.

"Such a fascinating weapon you have, Lord Vader. I must say, it makes many of the swords of this world seem weak by comparison."

Vader scowled, extinguishing his blade and jamming it on his belt, "What do you want, Dr. Oobleck?"

"Oh, nothing much. I was simply wondering if you would like to give an interview later on this week. As a doctor of archaeology and both ancient and current history, I would love to hear the history of our entire galacty. That is what you call it, right?"

Vader's jaw almost dropped. This man spoke faster than Ashoka! He had to shake his head in disbelief, "It's called a Galaxy, doctor, one of many int the universe. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a history man myself. If I ever make contact with the Empire, I can have a few holofiles sent to you for study. Unfortunately, the Jedi destroyed the Archives of the temple, removing much of what we had recorded for our history. Ten thousand years of history... Lost forever." Vader sighed, relaxing slightly. "I suppose classes begin tomorrow?"

"Oh, not at all, Lord Vader. There will be a simple orientation today, followed by a rather intense initiation trial designed to weed out the weak and those unfit to be huntsmen and huntresses." The man gestured wildly with his thermos of coffee, giving the impression of a Kaminoan on crack. Vader mildly wondered if it was safe for him to drink coffee. "Once the initiation is done, the students will receive the rest of the day off, and then classes will begin tomorrow. I believe your class does not come until the next day."

Vader nodded pensively, suddenly realizing something. After nearly two decades of being a Sith Lord, he Lord Darth Vader of the Sith Order, was going to be teaching a class of teenagers. If Obi-Wan was still alive, the old man would be laughing at him. At least it couldn't be any worse than training Ashoka. He turned to his charges in time to see Neo leap over a wall that was impeding their progress.

He sighed. Correction... This might be worse. "Doctor Oobleck, how would you recommend I deal with a possible information leak?"

The hyperactive professor raised an eyebrow, considering the question, "I presume you speak of your off-world origins and this "Force?"

"Yes, I understand that Atlas and General Ironwood would kill to gain someone like me. How do I keep myself, and more importantly my apprentice, safe?"

"Hmmm..." Oobleck frowned, realizing what Vader meant. From what he had seen of the Force, it would be an invaluable tool for war against the Grimm... or other kingdoms. "Yes, I see... Well, I suppose the best way to lie, is to tell a half truth. I presume you have some knowledge of politics, yes?"

Vader nodded curtly, not really appreciative of that background. While he understood why negotiation was necessary, he preferred solving any potential problems with heavy military action. After all, actions speak louder than words.

As if reading his mind, Oobleck nodded, "Yes, but I suppose you would prefer to just cut down political obstacles with your light rapier. Anyways, the best way to make people believe you in the world of politics, is to give them just a little bit of the truth. Let them think they know you, and then leave it alone. I must warn you, though... This is a school made for the best and brightest in the world... sooner or later, someone is bound to figure you out. When that happens, you need to be ready for the fallout."

Vader nodded and looked up to the skies. Hopefully, the Empire would find him before that happened, and he would have a battalion of Stormtroopers backing him up. While he didn't doubt that he could take on this world's basic military, these Huntsmen and Huntresses were something else...

 _ **2 Kiloparsecs Away ((2000 Parsecs or About 7000 Lightyears))**_

"Grand Admiral Thrawn, Commander Pellaeon is here to see you."

The Chiss Imperial looked up from his log-book, closing it with a hiss of static. He nodded to Lieutenant Faro, "Send him in, Karyn. And go take a break. You've been pouring over those hyperspace readings for twelve hours now. I need my personnel battle ready at all times."

The human officer nodded and left Thrawn's study, letting Captain Pallaeon in. The older Naval officer smiled as he entered, giving a quick salute to Thrawn before sitting down in a chair next to a viewport. "So, Thrawn... What do you think of this whole manhunt?"

Thrawn's normally passive face settled into a brooding scowl. Of course that would be the first think he spoke of. The Grand Admiral sighed, leaning back in his chair without a word. The two high ranking imperials sat there in silence for several minutes, neither moving until Thrawn had collected his thoughts. After the fifth minute had passed, Thrawn shook his head, "I think we haven't heard the whole story yet. If Vader is still out there, then something must have happened. He wouldn't just vanish into the Unknown Regions either."

Thrawn stood up, turning to face his window with his hands clasped behind him, "Darth Vader utterly despised the Emperor, that much was evident during the brief time I knew him. And with the Imperial Armada at his disposal, he could have easily killed the Emperor from orbit. But he was too honorable, he had too much loyalty to the Empire as a whole... and his past holding him back."

Pallaoen nodded, "So you've heard the rumors as well... I must say, it would explain a lot. No one else can fly like Vader. But that doesn't answer my question, Grand Admiral."

"Agreed... As for Vader," Thrawn pursed his lips, choosing his words carefully. "What I say here does not leave the room." He waited for his comrade to nod before continuing. "I believe that Lord Vader is being disposed of. Three hours ago, I received this distress signal."

Admiral Thrawn used a keypad built into his desk to type a short command. Shortly after, a somewhat garbled, yet understandable message began playing:

 _This is Captain Firmus Piett, acting commander of the SSD Executor._

Pallaeon glanced at Thrawn as a loud explosion in the background interupted the man, who called out for a status report. Once the indecipherable reply came, he continued.

 _Fifteen standard hours ago... The Executor entered the gravity well of a large black hole. Lord Darth Vader attempted a slingshot maneuver by diving under the singularity with a hyperdrive jump. The maneuver was partially successful, resulting in the survival in 90% of all personnel on broad. Admiral Ozzel is currently indisposed in the medical bays with a heavy concussion. Lord Vader is... currently missing in action._

Pallaeon hissed a sharp curse in Huttese, prompting a sharp, rare glare from Thrawn.

 _Navigation... to be... Unknown Regions... Com.. damaged... GET ME ENGINEERING!_

Thrawn shut off the recording, steepling his hands with a pensive expression on his face. Pallaeon's face was pale and nervous, "So... Lord Vader is missing in action, the commander of his ship is incapacitated, and the ship itself is currently dead in space?"

Thrawn shook his head, "No, while they may have sustained damage from the event, the Executor appears to be in a semi-functional state. Now, the signal itself came from a rather unusual part of the unknown regions, known to most explorers as the Maelstrom's Domain."

The Chiss Grand Admiral pulled up a holographic map of the galaxy, zooming in on the Unknown Regions. "The Maelstrom's Domain is the last remnants of a dwarf galaxy our own galaxy consumed aeons ago, and it has resulted in a rather unusual structure in that area. A handful of desperate smugglers who want to try and use the Unknown Regions as a shortcut to the other side of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the remains of several planetary systems that were cannibalized reside there, making traveling… Perilous at best. At least for smugglers. Our star destroyers will sustain some minor damage if struck by one of the larger planetoids, but we will still need to watch for some of the largest planetoids, which can be the size of small moons…"

Commander Pallaeon nodded, inspecting the small area of the galaxy. He remained silent, considering his next words carefully. Grand Admiral Thrawn wasn't one to waste words, and he had practically written a novel with this briefing. "Sir… Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't this be a briefing for the entire mission command?"

Thrawn's lips quirked in the barest hint of a smile, "Perceptive as ever, commander. You are certainly correct in stating that most of this information is needed for the upcoming mission briefing, but that wasn't my entire briefing." He sighed and stood up, turning to look out of his office window, overlooking the main section of the ship. His office was located just below the bridge and right above the war room for convenience sake. He surveyed the massive ship, waiting a moment before continuing. "I am changing the mission, commander. This is no longer a kill on sight, or even a capture mission. This is a rescue mission. There is a threat, more powerful than any Rebellion could possibly hope to be, coming from outside of our galaxy. I fear we will need Darth Vader and his military expertise in the coming times."

"But, Thrawn, you cannot believe Vader is able to do anything in comparison to you." Pallaeon paled at the thought of actively betraying the Empire, but his interest was piqued when Grand Admiral Thrawn admitted to _fearing_ something. "You are the best military leader this galaxy has _ever_ seen!"

Thrawn frowned slightly at Pallaeon's disregard to rank, but decided to let it slide considering what he just told the man, "Do not mistake my admittance to needing Vader as an underestimation of my own skill, commander… I do not believe myself to be inferior to that man, but he does have something that I lack. A certain… drive, shall we say, to get his men to work. He can motivate any soldier under his command. And while I cannot say that I condone his methods, they are nonetheless… _effective._ "

Commander Pallaeon nodded reluctantly, agreeing with his superior. However, there was still one thing that concerned him, "Grand Admiral Thrawn. You mentioned a threat to the Empire, not related to the rebels. What were you-"

Thrawn silenced the human with a single look of his red eyes, "Now is not the time, Commander. Return to the bridge and begin relaying orders to the rest of the fleet to prepare for hyperjump into the Unknown Regions. Our destination is the Maelstrom's Domain. If we push our hyperdrives, we can make it there in three standard months."

"Th-three months, sir!?"

Thrawn allowed the ghost of a smirk to cross his face, "Yes, commander. Three months. This is still officially an exploratory mission. What good would that mission be if we didn't at least try to gather some data. I'm sure the Executor and her crew will be fine until then. As for Vader, I doubt anything short of the Emperor himself could kill him.

 _ **ISD EXECUTOR, Star Dreadnought Class Destroyer.  
30 AU from Remnant**_

Captain Firmus Piett, acting-commander for the Executor, groaned and buried his face in his hands. The last fifteen hours had been absolutely brutal on the aging Imperial Officer. He let out a harsh, barking laugh. THen again, he wasn't exactly aging anymore. The once 40 year old man now looked half his age. If anything, he looked like he had just been enlisted in the Officer Candidacy Program in the Galactic Core. That black hole had seriously messed with everything on the ship. Navigation, shot. Long range communication? Well, they were sending a distress signal, but there was little hope that someone would be listening in on the Executor's frequency. Command? Admiral Ozzel was unconscious, and Lord Vader was missing. They had managed to use a few old star mapping techniques used by the clones in Vader's 501st Legion to figure out that they were somewhere in the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy. Engineering was working on getting the ship's sub-light impulse engines to work, but it was going to take several weeks to bring them online. The Executor had a total of over 300,000 imperial personnel onboard, actually, that number was closer to 290,000 after the close brush with the black hole… They were still finding stormtroopers that had _fused_ with the walls and hull of the ship. He sighed, standing up to leave his office, walking with his hands clasped behind his back as he entered the adjacent elevator and gave a brief order.

"To the bridge…"

The doors closed, and he felt the ground shift under his feet as the capsule was catapulted upwards to the Main Command Bridge for his ship. As he entered the bridge, the crew on deck snapped to attention, but he just waved them off, "Report…"

An ensign from navigation cleared his throat and saluted Piett, "Sir, our backup sensor relays have picked up faint radio signals coming from a nearby planet approximately 30 AU away. Our science department has several survey and reconnaissance droids ready to deploy at your command."

Piett nodded, "Good… If it's a planet with interstellar capabilities, then we might have found our way out. Send the droids, Ensign… What else?"

The Chief Engineer entered the bridge around that time, smoking slightly, but looking relatively pleased, "Oh, good. I was hoping you'd be here, captain." The colonel saluted his acting commander, grinning from ear to ear. "I have some good news, captain. Our backup sub-lights have been repaired to operational capacity. We only have limited capacity for travel, but at least we can move."

Captain Piett could have cried with relief at that moment, but instead he nodded, returning the smile in full, "Colonel, remind me to recommend you for a promotion." He cleared his throat and gestured towards the Ensign from earlier. "Ensign, grab a 501st trooper and use him to help navigation find your planet… Colonel, how fast would we be able to travel 30 AU?"

The officer frowned, doing the math in his head, "Er… Two standard months? That sounds about right. We would be pushing the engines to their limits though. And I'm not factoring in any unplanned events that might damage the ship again."

Piett nodded. That was good enough for him, "Tell the engineers they have on ship leave for three standard days. Use a skeleton crew to maintain what you have finished. Once the leave is over, I expect you to get back to work to increase our functionality… ANd could you do something about life support? I keep hearing rumors about several levels randomly losing gravity… And I would rather not wake up floating above my bed."

The chief engineer nodded, saluting Piett and leaving the bridge. The acting commander turned towards the window, standing where a towering pillar of darkness and power usually stood. With the good news he had just received, his posture and moral was much better. He was in control of the Executor, and it looked like he was going to be able to handle it after all. And with Vader out of the picture, he had time to grow accustomed to the position before he could screw up in front of the Dark Lord… SOmething very few of his predecessors ever had the chance to do.

 _ **Well, it looks like things are moving along smoothly. Vader is going to be teaching a bunch of hyperactive teens how to fight and conduct themselves on a battlefield, Thrawn is going to be taking his time on getting to his destination for his own reasons, Piett has his situation well in hand, and Qui-Gon is watching Vader, trying to figure out if he should be laughing at the man, or praying for his students…**_

 _ **Now, for those of you who are confused by Thrawn's seemingly uncaring attitude towards the Executor and Vader, let me explain a few things. THrawn knows that if the Emperor sent him to track down Vader and his ship, then there's a very high chance that they are there. No need to really go anywhere fast if your objective isn't moving. Second, very few people remember that the Chiss Supremacy is actually located within the Unexplored Regions, meaning Thrawn is actually pretty close to home. WHich also means that he can take stock of the situation at his home and see how far the outside threat has progress. Look it up if you are confused.**_

 _ **Yes, Neo did graduate from Acolyte to Apprentice rather quickly, but she does come from a planet of people who manipulate an energy very similar to the Force. ANd since she's actually in her teens, it was natural for her to reach apprenticeship relatively quickly. Vader is actually holding her Sith name for that very reason. And yes, he has already chosen it.**_

 _ **A funny thought crossed my mind as I was writing that last note… I do plan on bringing the entire Skywalker family into the mix (no, I am not resurrecting Padme), and I thought: "Hey, I'm changing the entire story up, so why not pair Luke up with one of the Malachite twins? That would be kinda fun to write." What do you lot think? Also, I still need a pairing for Neo! WHo do you want?**_


	9. Initiation

_**Well, another chapter, ready to go! Had a little fun with this one, as it showcases some of Neo's progress in the Force. Really sorry about the delay though… Things happen, let's just put it at that. And no, I was not procrastinating. I've been injured, and the medicine they give me pretty much knocks me out for most of the day. I'll try to get a chapter written up for another story written up sometime today.**_

 _ **Note: This entire chapter was free-written. There was no rough draft, no editing besides grammar. You are reading what I come up with when I just throw words on paper.**_

Chapter 8: Initiation

Vader was going to strangle Ozpin. Not with the force either. He was going to do it with his bare hands. The Sith Lord had assumed that the "initiation" was some sort of battle, but not like this! The reason he had given Neo the task to defeat a team of Huntsmen, was because he thought the initiation was a sort of duel between a team of students and a team of huntsmen, a sort of way to determine where their skills lie, and what they needed work on. He was going to use it the same way, and to show Neo what she would be up against. But this was lunacy. He watched with bated breath as Neo and the twins were literally launched into the sky with no way to come down safely. Several dozen people actually moved away from the dark lord as a wave of killing intent blasted away from him. A soft chuckle at his elbow tore his attention away from the screen, and he looked down to see a shorter, blond man wearing something that would not be amiss of a man from the southern hemisphere of Naboo.

"So, let me guess, Ozpin didn't tell you what this little initiation entailed?"

Vader growled, the sound unregistered by his synthesizer, "No, he neglected to mention that my Apprentice and other two charges would be launched upwards with enough speed to shatter the legs of a normal person!"

The blond man raised his hands in a joking, yet placating manner, "Hey, it's all cool. There hasn't been a death in the initiation for around two decades." He held out his hand to Vader, "The name's Tai-Yang Xiao Long, I'm the father of two of the students here. Actually, those two there." He chuckled and nodded towards the screen, where a blond girl with a similar style of clothing, and a shorter girl with darker hair were launched into the sky at terminal velocity.

Vader's eyes practically bugged out of his skull as he beheld the massive scythe weapon in the shorter girl's hands. However, his synthesizer managed to assist with maintaining a somewhat neutral tone, "The smaller one has an… interesting choice of weaponry, I see."

"Who? Oh, you mean Ruby." Tai-Yang chuckled, shaking his head with amusement. "Yeah, Rubes decided to follow her uncle when it came to fighting, so she took up the scythe and well… I have to admit, she's pretty darn good. Hey, I never caught your name by the way. Are you a hunter?"

Vader shook his head, "I am Lord Darth Vader, a Sith from the Northern Regions of Atlas. My apprentice is Neo, the shorter girl in a cloak. I managed to pick up the twins upon my arrival here, and after… a certain incident-"

"So, you're the space-man Ozpin told us about?"

Vader froze mid sentence, turning and fixing Tai-Yang with such a sharp gaze, that the man's aura actually flared up slightly. They stared at each other for a few seconds, with Tai-Yang shifting uncomfortably under the cyborg's considerably intimidating gaze. Then Vader nodded, letting up on his Force Fear, "Yes, I am the Imperial that… arrived here recently. I was unaware that the Headmaster was going to be so… flippant with such sensitive information."

Tai-Yang shook his head quickly, "Trust me, he didn't tell very many people. Just members of… well, we'll just call it a group of people with Remnant's best interests at heart. Wait, are those the twins Junior has with him all the time?" Tai-Yang quickly diverted attention away from him, pointing at the screen where the red and white twins were being coming down to the ground with expertly performed acrobatics. They made eye contact for a moment, before racing off into the forest. Tai-Yang scratched his head in confusion. "How the heck did they get into the school? Once Junior has his claws in something, he refuses to let it go. Hey, are you laughing?"

Vader was indeed chuckling darkly, causing the seasoned hunter next to him shift uneasily, "Junior indeed attempted to… reclaim the girls, but was easily dissuaded from the idea once I had a word with him." His mind flashed back to an image of him force choking a bearish looking man in a tuxedo. He didn't kill Junior, but he certainly put the fear of the Force in him.

Tai-Yang swallowed nervously before looking up at the screen again, "Oh crap, Qrow…"

Vader looked up in time to see Ruby crash into a bird in mid flight. He was about to ask Tai-Yang a question, when a rather indignant ping in the Force reached him. He searched for its source, before realizing that it came from the crow Ruby had hit… "Mr. Xiao-Long, was that bird actually a man?"

Tai-Yang blinked owlishly, looking from Vader to the screen and back several times, "How did you… You've never… I guess Ozpin was right. You do have a few surprises. Yeah, Qrow can turn into a crow, but he was just watching the initiation from a bird's eye perspective. He'll probably be joining us pretty soon."

Vader nodded, about to return to watching his apprentice, when an unknown presence in the Force caught his attention. While most people here would have never caught his eye, this one was… different. He turned, letting the Force guide him until a woman in a white mask caught his eye. She was watching the initiation like the rest of the people, but had hidden herself in a small alcove only accessible through a maintenance shaft or window. He frowned, excusing himself and heading outside to confront the unknown person.

Emerald Forest

Neo hissed in pain as tree branches whipped into her face and cloak, threatening to break her tenuous grasp on the Force. She had begun the process of slowing down through the Force when she was about ten metres above the canopy. Of course, she neglected to actually push the branches out of the way, so now she was left with making sure she didn't go splat on the ground. To make matters worse, the black cloak Master Vader was making her wear was catching on the branches, making it rather difficult to concentrate. Luckily, she managed to break through shortly, cushioning her landing with a final burst of the Force. She grunted softly once the ground was under her feet, stumbling from the sudden transition of falling to walking. Smooth, Neo. Real smooth. Master Vader was going to make sure she had training in that if he saw it. She sighed and closed her eyes, spreading her senses out. Grimm, Grimm, student, teacher, the Twins… She smiled as she watched the twin's beacons traveling so closely together. Of course they had managed to land together. The two girls were completely inseparable. The ice cream themed girl sighed, beginning her trek through the forest. She had managed to catch a glimpse of the supposed temple Ozpin had placed the relics at, and with the twins heading in the same direction, she already knew what to do.

Due to the circumstances with Master Vader, she was not required to have a partner, meaning she was going to be in a three man team, presumably with the twins. Master Vader would accompany them on any missions, taking up the role of the Team Leader. Apparently, there was precedence for a Master/Apprentice relationship in the world of Huntsmen and Huntresses, so while it was a bit odd, no one would really question it. She did have to keep her Master's origins a secret though. The once tortured girl let a small smile flit across her face. This was definitely an improvement to her situation with Cinder and Roman. If only she could have given more information about Cinder. Then she would have been captured, along with Roman. The thought of the imprisoned man still made her skin crawl, but at least he was behind bars now. A flicker in the Force brought her out of her musings with a sudden jolt, and on instinct, she threw herself backwards, flipping over a black blur and igniting her saber. She twisted in mid-air, carving a blue arc with the saber and slicing through her attacker with ease. She landed in a crouch, watching a neatly bisected Beowolf collapse to the ground with some satisfaction. But she couldn't enjoy the kill just yet. There were more Beos nearby. She turned her senses towards the nearby pack, but was confused when she realized they weren't exactly concentrated on her. She deactivated the saber, clipping it to her belt and darting towards the rather agitated Beowolf pack and their victim.

Neo realized that another initiate had gotten herself surrounded by a rather large pack of Grimm, and that the one she had just killed must have just been a random coincidence. No… there were no coincidences in the Force, Master Vader had pounded that lesson into her head well enough. If that Beo hadn't attacked her, she would have never noticed this white themed girl. She grabbed her saber, about to leap in to help the girl fighting the Grimm, when a second, red themed girl appeared. The newcomer killed the grim White was about to attack, forcing her to throw the Burn Dust attack she had prepared off to the side. Right at Neo. The Sith Apprentice gave a strangled yelp and threw herself forward, jumping over the attack, which detonated on a tree. She picked herself up off the ground, looking at the two girls with a scowl. They were arguing now, despite the Grimm now panicking to escape the burning forest. She reached out with the Force, pushing them apart as she stomped over. She still wasn't able to speak properly yet, so she just glared at them and pointed at the burning forest. White quickly realized what was wrong, and nodded.

"Ruby, we need to get out of here!"

"Oh, come on, Princess! Are you-YIPES!"

Ruby jumped in terror as Neo drew her lightsaber and ignited it, leveling the super heated plasma blade at her throat. She quickly took the hint and followed White, with Neo close behind. Once a safe distance away, White turned on Ruby, "What is wrong with you!? Were you trying to get us killed?"

Ruby's jaw dropped, "Me!? What's wrong with you, Princess!? We totally could have taken them!"

"Not with the forest burning down around us, which, by the way, you made me cause!"

Neo was absolutely stunned. Weren't these girls supposed to be partners? It sounded more like they hated each other! Wait… there was something more. Ruby's force presence seemed… plaintive, as if she was trying to impress the girl in white rather than survive. White, on the other hand, had a sterner Force presence. Disciplined and cold, but different from Master's. She cleared her throat, trying to stop the girl's from arguing. When that didn't work, she tried again, a bit louder. Again, nothing. She scowled, losing her patience and activating her saber with its loud snapping hiss. Both girls instantly went silent, staring at the shimmering blue blade. Ruby's eyes lit up, and she darted to Neo's side with a speed that terrified the girl, who backed away quickly.

"Whoa! What kind of weapon is that!? That's so cool! An extendable, dust sword? No, it's not solid. Maybe a Burn Dust cloud with Electrical Dust to contain it within some sort of static field? But what's with the blue colour? Hang on, who are you?"

Neo dead panned, staring at Ruby as if to say: _Oh, now you recognize that a person is standing here?_ Ruby winced, thoroughly chagrined. Neo just shook her head, the movement slightly hidden by the heavy cowl she wore, as she spoke in a rough, painful voice. "Neo… My name is Neo."

White frowned, looking at Neo carefully, "I'm Weiss Schnee, this is my… Partner… Ruby Rose. Have you not found your partner yet? And what's with the cowl?"

Neo scowled, realizing she had just come across the SDC heiress. Slowly, she lowered the cowl, resisting the urge to smirk at their confused faces. Master Vader had told her that the cowl and cloak were sort of Sith trademarks, allowing them to keep their faces, hands, and weapons hidden. He didn't wear one because well… he didn't exactly need one. But the other reason Vader wanted her face hidden, was because people would assume that she was some sort of burn victim with her damaged voice. Looks like her master was right ag-"

"Oh my gosh, where did you get your hair done? It looks so cute!"

Neo blinked owlishly, looking at Ruby in confusion. Well… there goes that idea. She grunted out her response, not really feeling up to talking. "It's natural…"

Weiss rolled her eyes, recognizing the pain Neo was in, "Do you have a scroll or something? You still didn't answer my questions."

Neo stared at the rather pushy heiress for several long moments with her multi-coloured eyes, debating on answering her. Once the pale girl began squirming under her gaze, she slowly pulled her personal scroll out and typed, "I'm under apprenticeship with one of the professors here. My team will be a three man squad."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that, "That sounds… interesting. I didn't think that was a thing anymore… Atlas doesn't have anything like it."

Neo shrugged, not really paying attention. She was more concerned about the fact that her friends and several other pairs of people were fast approaching the ruins. She cleared her previous statement, "We need to move. The other groups are almost at the relics and we are far behind."

Weiss opened her mouth to question Neo as to how she knew that, but was silenced with a single look from the Sith Apprentice. Neo was applying a small amount of Force Fear to get the desired effect, but there was no need to tell Weiss that. She turned to Ruby, who was looking up at the sky with a strange expression on her face. Neo tapped on her shoulder, giving her a questioning look.

Ruby looked at the pair of girls with her, a small, yet unnerving smile on her face, "Uh… neither of you are afraid of heights, right?

Five Minutes Later

"RUUBYYYYY! I TOLD YOU THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!"

"We're fine! Stop worrying!"

"Oh, I am SO beyond worrying!"

Neo closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that they were on a freaking Nevermore. When Ruby had proposed the idea, Neo was with Weiss. It was a terrible idea. But when she pointed up to show that a Nevermore had actually been sitting above them, practically half asleep, she sighed and agreed to the idea. Now, she was with Weiss again. THIS WAS INSANE! But… They were certainly making progress. Their objective was nearly below them. She nodded her thanks to Ruby, who looked at her questioningly before realizing Neo had already jumped. The Sith Apprentice smirked as she heard the heiress shriek in terror. Master Vader was right, it was fun to scare other sentients. Neo spread her arms and legs, increasing her surface area to slow her descent. She could see a pair of people down below her… but neither of them had the same Force Presence as the twins. So where were they? She spread her senses further south, and was stunned to see her friends in a panicked state, fleeing for their lives from a mass of darkness. She sucked in a breath as the ground rushed up to meet her, gathering up the Force and flinging it downwards to slow her descent. The ground cracked, straining against the sudden onslaught, before finally blowing itself apart with a thunderous roar and carving out a nearly perfect crater.

Neo almost laughed as the other students shouted in terror, not realizing it was just one of them making her own landing. She hopped out of the crater, using a small Force Wave to clear the dust and debris from her path as she moved to join them, her cowl back in place. They stared at her in confusion and fear, before the black haired faunus with a bow looked up, tapping the tall, blond girl. Neo followed their eyes upwards and gasped, raising her hands to catch Ruby, who was falling right on top of them, only to blink owlishly as a second person shot through the air like a cannonball, colliding with Ruby mid flight, and sending both of them crashing into a tree.

"Uh… Did your sister just fall from the sky?"

The girl in question raised her hand as if to respond, but was silenced when an Ursa crashed out of the woods, roaring in pain and flailing wildly. A massive pink explosion silenced it instantly, sending it crashing to the ground. AN orange haired girl fell off it's back, whining about… something. Her out of breath partner stumbled out of the forest, presumably after chasing her down several kilometres. He gasped something out towards her, but she was gone already. Neo nearly jumped out of her skin as her Force Presence just _appeared_ behind her. She grabbed a relic from the ruins, a Rook piece by the looks of it, and began singing some childish song until the other boy called her name, "NORA!"

Nora giggled and ran after him, "Coming, Ren!"

"Uh… Did she just ride in on the back of an Ursa?

"I uh…"

Once again, the blond girl was interrupted by the roar of a massive Grimm, this time a Deathstalker. The large, scorpion Grimm crashed through the trees, hot on the tail of a red haired girl who looked suspiciously like Pyrrha Nikos, a famous huntress-in-training from Mistral.

"Pyrrha!"

"Whoa!" Ruby jumped down from the tree, landing next to her sister. Leaving behind the blond boy who called out her name. The blond girl smiled and attempted to hug her sister.

"Ruby!"

"Yang!"

"Nora!" The orange haired girl jumped up between the sisters, forcing them to lean away with surprised yelps.

"Uh… Did she just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?"

Neo blinked as she felt a frustrated rage bubbling up from Yang, who was practically trembling. The Sith Apprentice backed away slowly, just in time for the brawler to explode violently, her hair catching fire and lilac eyes turning red, "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! COULD EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN!?"

Neo could practically hear the two seconds tick away before the proverbial ding occurred with Ruby tugging on her sister's arm and pointing upwards.

"Uh… Yang?"

All eyes went to the sky to see Weiss clinging to the claw of the Giant Nevermore, screaming for her life.

Ruby responded sheepishly, "I said jump…"

The faunus girl sighed, "She's going to fall."

Ruby waved her off, "She'll be fine."

Ren shook his head, "She's falling."

Neo's brain was starting to have trouble keeping up with this now, and she opened her mouth to try and say something, when her own friends arrived… With a massive Arachnae on their tails. About three stories tall, and fifteen metres long, an Arachnae was a child's nightmare. The gargantuan spider Grimm was rarely seen outside the Nightshade Forests of Southern Vale. The customary white bone plating covered the legs back and mandibles of the eight legged arachnid from hell. It's abdomen had a massive bone plate in the shape of a skull, further giving the impression of a deadly alpha predator. It also had an extra, fifth set of limbs. Essentially long, serrated blades that acted as clawed arms to scoop humans up into its massive maw. And it was after Neo's friends. Ignoring the other girls, she rushed forward, gathering the force around her. She extended both hands, dragging the twins forward and towards her. They yelped in surprised, tumbling to the ground next to her. Then she spun around and slammed the Force forward, causing the massive spider to trip over itself and flip forward. It's massive legs flailed wildly as it gave out deafening shrieks and tried to right itself.

Neo ignored it and helped her friends up. Melanie shot her a crooked grin, balancing lightly on her bladed boots, "Well, hello there, Neo. What took you so long?"

Miltia just sighed, "Thank you, Neo. We ended up wandering into that thing's nest, and well… Yeah…"

Neo nodded, turning her attention to the massive spider, who was beginning to right itself. She unclipped her saber, igniting it, "Relics… now."

The twins didn't need to be told twice. They just took off running, sliding to a halt and grabbing a pawn piece before tossing Neo the other one. Neo grabbed it from mid air and stuck it in her pocket. Then she whipped off her cloak, tossing it to the side and getting ready. The trio watched the spider warily as it got up and looked around to catch sight of its prey. Once it had them, it shrieked and charged. The twins bolted in two different directions, leaving Neo behind. But this wasn't out of selfish reasons. No, the Sith Apprentice decided to be the bait, flooding her surroundings with the Dark Side of the Force, essentially using a massive ball of negative energy to cloak her friends' smaller presences. She closed her eyes, sinking into the Force. Letting it wrap around her very being. Her whole body relaxed, settling into a rigid, yet smooth posture. Her saber was held out in front of her, held loosely in one hand. The Dark Side wrapped around her like a blanket, becoming more and more compressed. Her entire world shook as the Arachnae grew closer, but she didn't move. She needed to wait… It wasn't until the massive Grimm was right on top of her that she acted, leaping high into the air and flipping over the spider. She threw her saber out, guiding it with the force as it sliced clean through the left arm of the Grimm with greater ease than any blade forged on Remnant.

The small girl landed behind the Grimm in a crouch, grabbing her saber as it returned to her hand. The injured monster shrieked in pain and indignation as it crashed face first into the stonework of the ruins, causing more injury as the hard, unyielding surfaces fragmented, falling onto some of the chinks in its armour. Neo turned to Melanie, nodding curtly at the kickboxer as she got ready for another round. She deactivated her saber and used the force to raise several small boulders into the air. Melanie grinned, understanding Neo immediately. She launched herself into the air, kicking once, twice, three times in rapid succession and sending three stones flying at the spider with aura fueled kicks. The spider managed to turn around just in time to receive several heavy stones straight to the eye cluster in the middle of its head. It screeched in pain, rearing back and swiping wildly in front of it. Miltia took that as her cue, coming in from the side that did not have an arm and leaping onto the already injured eye cluster. Her clawed gauntlets were a blur, slashing at any bit of exposed flesh she could find before Neo yanked her off in time to avoid a leg from behind. Neo leapt up as Miltia passed her, twisting to avoid the remaining arm and igniting her saber. It sliced through the arm in mid ignition, causing the Arachnae to jerk up again. Neo planted her feet on the edge of the bone plating above the eye cluster, using the movement as a springboard to propel her high into the air. She used the force to slow her at the peak of her arc, turning to face the Arachnae with a look of utter hatred. She gathered the force in an attempt to force the monster to the ground again, only to watch in stunned amazement and bright, bluish-white lightning sprang from her fingertips and crackled along the white bone plating of the monster, cracking and damaging everything it touched. She still got the effect of slamming it to the ground, but was almost too stunned to react when she started falling again. Almost.

With one final attack, she pointed her saber down and let gravity do the work, planting the plasma blade deep within the Grimm's head. She worked it around for a second before jumping off and landing in between the twins, deactivating the blade. They watched as it stumbled forward a few steps, before collapsing, dead.

"Well… That was something."

Neo and Miltia just glared at Melanie, who was trying her hardest not to bust down laughing. After a few moments, Miltia cracked a smile, "Yeah… But I would prefer not to do it again any time soon."

Neo rolled her eyes, as if to say: _No, I would love to do that every day of our lives!_

Melanie just reached out and flicked her forehead, "Oi, enough with the sarcasm, Miss Sith-Aprentice. That's my job."

Neo rubbed her forehead with her hand, sticking her tongue out at Melanie. The older girl laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Neo. Let's just get back to the school and turn these stupid relics in. Then you can report back to your master."

Neo nodded, calling her cloak back and putting it on. She debated leaving the cowl down, but decided against it. That just wouldn't be… Sith. The trio, sore from the day's work, eagerly made their way back to school, ready for a good night's sleep.

 _ **So… That was a thing. Heh heh… I hope you enjoyed the new Grimm, as well as the fighting. I'm more used to a militant style of fighting as demonstrated in Tomorrow's Destiny, so I hope I did RWBY justice.**_

 _ **Now, about pairings. I think I might have an idea in mind, but it's going to take a little developing. Hint: It isn't Baked Alaska or Silent Knight.**_

 _ **As for teams, I couldn't figure out how to add any canon characters without ruining the story, and I didn't want to insert any OC's, so… Yeah. I just made that BS up. I hope it makes sense.**_

 _ **On a side note, are there any stories in particular you want me to update? Keep in mind that a few of them are probably going to be rewritten, and I need to get into the mood for a few others. Let me know in either the comments, or PM me.**_


	10. First Day of School!

_**Welcome back to another installment of**_ _ **"The Force of Change." In this chapter, Lord Vader will be teaching his first class. Let's see if he manages to get any of his students to cry. Oh, and here today to give the disclaimer, we have Jebediah Kerman and Bob Kerman, both of whom are trapped on Eve due to an engine malfunction!**_

 _ ***Static Hiss***_

 _ **RECIEVING TRANSMISSION FROM EVE  
JEB: Hello? Is this thing on?  
BOB: Yes, it's on! You don't see the green light?  
JEB: Oh, yeah! Hello, everyone on Earth! Jebediah Kerman her, coming in hot from Eve! How is everyone today?  
BOB: Jeb, they can't respond… I think.  
JEB: Oh… It's lonely here.  
*The sound of someone being hit over the head.*  
JEB: Hey! What was that for?  
BOB: Just do the disclaimer! At this point, you're just wasting electricity! And Bill forgot to install Solar Panels on this ship!  
JEB: Oh fine, Tucker does not own Star Wars or RWBY, they belong to George Lucas and RoosterTeeth respectively.  
BOB: Please tell the KSC to send a rescue mission…  
TRANSMISSION END**_

Chapter 9: First Day of School!

Vader sighed, looking at his class roster again. Classes started today, and he had all of the beginner classes. Ozpin had already warned him which teams to watch for, and which students were probably going to be ahead or needed help. He looked closely at Team CRDL, the supposed troublemakers of the new students. Apparently, the leader, Cardin Winchester, already had a record of bullying and possible assault cases against humans and faunus alike. This was going to be interesting. A loud bang distracted him from his musings, and he looked up to see a girl in a red cloak spinning off the doorframe. He stood there, watching her from the center of his arena auditorium as she righted herself and looked around.

"Yes! Team RWBY is here first!"

Vader raised an eyebrow, looking around before speaking with his booming baritone, "I believe you are mistaken, Miss. Rose. You are the only one here. Your team has yet to arrive."

Ruby Rose jumped in surprise, finally noticing the massive cyborg, "Wh-wha? But I thought they were right behind me..."

Vader shook his head, the small movement hidden by his helmet, "You were wrong, Miss Rose. It would be best not to let something like this happen in the field. Next time, you might not run into a school teacher. If that happens, what will you do without your team? What happens if you encounter a Grimm or enemy with no back-up?"

Ruby cringed, "Uh... I'll run away? Or kick their butt?"

"Hmm... That didn't work so well with the Deathstalker, now did it?" Vader turned away, ending the conversation before it could go any further. Her team arrived around that time to find their team leader rather subdued. He could feel the blond girl, Yang Xiao-Long, staring daggers at him, but declined to return the favor. He could feel the presences of four other people besides Team RWBY, and decided to look up again. Team JNPR had arrived alongside RWBY. Jaune Arc was on that team, and the Team Leader to boot. Ozpin had asked him to help the blond boy especially. He decided to take a cursory glance at the boy with the Force. Hmm... Plenty of potential, but unfocused. He definitely had self confidence issues. If he could fix that, then most of his problems would be solved. The Sith Lord mentally nodded, using the Force to summon a modified scroll to his hand. After typing a few commands, a large, blue hologram appeared overhead, with a predetermined seating chart. "Find your seat and sit down. Place your weapons on the desk, and unload any ammunition. For those with dust powered weapons, remove the dust. I assume that you have some experience with that particular area. Inform Team CRDL of the situation when they arrive."

Team JNPR looked at the massive man nervously, but did as they were told. Vader could practically _smell_ the fear radiating off of Jaune, which amused him to no end. The boy wearing green was a bit unusual though. Vader could sense absolutely nothing from him. No fear, curiosity, or even boredom. He was a black hole in terms of emotion. Interesting.

A small smirk appeared on his face as his apprentice came through the door wearing her cloak. The Malachite twins flanked her on either side, looking like a rather unusual pair of Sith Assassins in his eyes. The trio had already become quite adept at working together, if their record breaking victory over that Ackalay looking Grimm was any indication. He almost laughed at the irritated look Melanie threw his way. The Sith Lord had "neglected" to inform the girls when classes started for the day, which meant they would have been late if Neo wasn't a light sleeper. Neo peered around at the class from under her cowl before whispering something to her team. They nodded, taking their seats and removing their weapons. It was a rather odd sight, with Melanie having to removing her footwear and Neo setting a rather simplistic looking metal cylinder on the table. To Vader, the cylinder was the most ordinary thing out there, barring Arc's sword and shield. He crossed his arms, waiting for the entire class to follow his orders. That included the now late Team CRDL. Speaking of which...

Cardin waltzed into the class, wearing his armour and carrying a mace. A confident smirk was on his face as his team came in behind him. Vader watched them for a moment, not saying anything. It fell to Nora Valkyrie to inform them of the current instructions. They laughed, chatting amongst themselves and disrupting the silence that had prevailed in the class beforehand. That was here Vader decided to speak up.

"Mr. Winchester, did you not recieve the instructions dealt out to the rest of the class yesterday after initiation?"

The chatter died down nearly instantly as every eye turned towards him. Cardin scowled at the man, immediately recognizing the fact that Vader was heavily cybernetic and used a life support system. However, he seemed to keep his prejudice in check for now. "No, we got back to the academy after the information was passed out."

A complete and utter lie. Team CRDL had actually been the first to return from the initiation. Vader had been watching from the main common area of the school with the rest of the spectators. Yet, Vader decided not to directly call him out, "Hmmm... Let's say I believe you. Your team wakes up, wanders about the school, trying to figure out where everyone is, and eventually come to the conclusion that classes start today. Why are you still late?"

Cardin smirked, thumbing his nose at the Sith Lord, "Well, how would I be on time if I didn't know what time classes started?"

A cold aura flared up, tinged with anger. But it wasn't from Vader. Well, maybe a little. His apprentice was practically seething with rage at the boy's blatent disrespect. "Neo, that is enough!"

The cloaked girl jumped in her seat, looking at Vader in confusion, and then a bit of guilt. The twins relaxed now that Neo's unintentional use of Force Fear was no longer in play. Vader sighed, realizing he was going to have another talk about controlling her anger again. That would have to wait though. First he had to discipline the Winchester boy. "Detention, Mr. Winchester, for lying to a professor, and then continuing to lie even after given a chance to confess." He turned away to adjust something on his DataScroll (Yes, that was a good name for it... Not exactly a datapad, and yet not really a Scroll.), finished with the exchange.

"What!? You have no proof! ANd it's the first day! What sort of shoddy piece of shit prof-uRK!?"

Cardin came to a choking halt mid sentence and grabbed his throat. He gasped for air like a dying fish, clawing at whatever invisible fingers were choking him. Vader slowly turned to the boy, his hand raised slightly and a cupped claw, "You would be wise to consider your choice of words carefully, young one. I am a member of the educational staff in this facility, and you will treat me as if I were a superior officer on the battlefield. I do not appreciate you being late, but understand if circumstances prevented you from being here on time this morning." He released the boy before turning away again, pulling up a holographic projection of the years curriculum. "However, I will neither condone nor tolerate lying to my face. You are not serving this detention for being late, but for your dishonesty. I will see you... two weeks from today at the end of the school day. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Cardin growled, rubbing his throat before slinking off to his seat.

Vader rolled his eyes, turning to inspect his class. He remained still for several long moments, causing more than one student to squirm uncomfortably. He scoffed, shaking his head, "This is supposed to be the future generation of huntsmen and huntresses? The headmaster was right. There is nothing here but wasted potential." While the class was stunned into silence by that blunt statement, Vader pushed on. "I am Lord Darth Vader, a Sith from the northern mountains of Atlas. Headmaster Ozpin has invited me here to assist Professor Goodwitch with the teaching and training of this year's batch of new students. Unlike your previous teachers, and the other professors in this facility, I will not tolerate disrespect, either towards myself, or your fellow students. Any sign of prejudice, racism, or attempted superiority complexes will be swiftly corrected. And before you think that I will simply be giving you an essay or light slap on the wrist, remember this, and remember it well."

Vader let his Force Presence flood the auditorium, generating a heavy, foreboding feeling amongst the students, "This is a Combat Academy. I could kill one of you and simply have a bit of paperwork to fill out. Oh, there will be an article in the paper, and your families will mourn the loss, but life will go on. Your enemies and the Grimm will not treat you like children, and neither shall I. Is that understood?"

A small murmur of assent went through the class, and Vader nodded, "Very good... Now, pay attention to the holodisplay. I will be pairing you up to see where you are in terms of combat skill."

Neo's eyes flickered up to the board, and she immediately frowned. Why had Master Vader put her with the Schnee girl? Surely she should be working with him, right? She scanned the list to find that Juane Arc was going to be facing her master, spiking a bit of both jealousy and sympathy for the boy. Jealousy because that was her master. Sympathy because... that was her master. The boy was in for a rough time. She slowly made her way down to the arena and to one of the small platforms set up for dueling. Weiss was already waiting for her, raipier in hand and in a standard fencing pose. That's when it clicked. Master Vader wanted them to face off against people with similar fighting styles. Her Form II Makashi was very similar to Remnant's fencing styles. If a bit less... formal. Neo smirked, watching Schnee's eyes narrow at her. The ice cream coloured girl of course said nothing, and simply let her saber slide out of her cloak and into her waiting hand. She ignited the blue blade, saluting her foe before letting it hang loosely at her side.

Weiss huffed at her haughtily, settling into what one would assume was a perfect form. Neo could have laughed at the stiff girl, realizing that this was going to be rather easy fo- Schnee shot forward like a cannonball, forcing Neo to go on the defensive almost immediately. Weiss's rapier was a silver blur, a stab here, a slice there. Neo cursed at herself for assuming that Master Vader's training made her superior to the SDC heiress. The girl's movements, while somewhat repetitive, were so fast, that Neo physically couldn't bring herself to break her defensive stance. Fortunately, there was a massive difference in their fighting styles. Where Weiss was built for structure and order, overwhelming the opponent with a series of predetermined strikes and stabs, Neo was trained to be more fluid. To have a certain unpredictability to her movements. She used as little energy as possible to defend herself, whilst Weiss was throwing everything into the assault. Since it had a pattern though, the Sith Apprentice had the perfect opportunity to use the Force and skim Weiss's mind. She wasn't expecting what she found, and it almost made her feel sorry for saying this.

"I feel your anger, Schnee... Your jealousy... Your _fear._ "

There was the barest hint of a pause in Weiss's movements as Neo's tortured voice ground out the statement. That was all Neo needed. When Weiss attempted to slice at her legs again, the ice cream girl slammed the rapier into the ground with the force to amplify her strength. Then she planted a fist into the Heiress's gut, dropping the girl to her knees. The rapier clattered from her hands, and Neo summoned it to her hands, placing it alongside her saber on Weiss's shoulders. Schnee went very still, realizing that Neo could easily decapitate her if the saber didn't have the training ring on. Neo smirked down at the Heiress, "You look good without that arrogant mask."

She handed the rapier back to the confused heiress, winking at her before jumping up the arena wall and into the stands. A three metre jump, but nothing with the Force. She looked at the twins, who still hadn't moved from their spots. Melanie shrugged, checking her nails for some nonexistent dirt, "The old man already know where we stand since we already went toe-to-toe with him. How was your fight with the Schnee heiress? She seems... a bit flustered."

Neo glanced back at the blushing girl, who was looking at her rapier with a dazed expression. As if she couldn't decide whether to be mad, pleased, or downright terrified of Neo. Neo smirked, shrugging silently and tapping her nose.

"Bullshit. We'll get the truth out of you eventually, Neo. Either that, or we'll just ask your new girlfriend."

Miltia, who was drinking a bottle of water, choked and looked at Neo for confirmation. The ice cream girl was scrutinizing Melanie as a scientist would a particularly interesting experiment. Melanie just laughed and flicked Neo's forehead.

"Yeah, good luck with that, short stack."

Neo huffed and rubbed her head, sitting down to watch the rest of the class.

Vader sighed, walking around the Arc boy and scrutinizing him carefully. Ozpin was right, the boy was absolutely abysmal when it came to fighting. He had the right mind for leadership, but that was about it. Vader shook his head, taking a few steps back and drawing his saber, igniting the red blade. The training ring was already applied to his weapon, making it less lethal in his hands. "Draw your weapon, boy. I need to see where you stand..."

Jaune yelped, rushing to do as he was ordered. In the process, his shield strap came undone and caused the massive chunk of metal to fall to the ground with a loud bang. Several chuckles ran through the class, all of them originating from the scattered Team CRDL. Vader's eye twitched slightly, and he used the Force to summon the shield to his hands. Jaune was practically shaking with fear as Vader walked past him. He really did begin to shake when Vader growled out, "Come here, boy."

Vader stepped into one of the arena's storage rooms, setting the shield down and crossing his arms as Juane entered the room timidly, "Uh... Is everything alright, Professor Vader? I-Is this about the shield? I just forgot to buckle the straps properly. I swear I'm not usually like this. It must be first day jitters, ya'know? I jus-"

"Mr. Arc, what did I say to you at the beginning of the class?" Vader crossed his arms, staring the boy down. Jaune's feeble attempts at verbally protecting himself died down, and he looked down, immediately fearing the worse. He was going to be expelled, right? Or worse, Vader knew about his transcripts and was going to-

"Ozpin already knows."

Jaune flinched, looking up at Vader with raw fear in his eyes. He opened his mouth to pull a clueless act, but quickly shut it and looked to the ground. "I'll uh... Go pack my things, Professor Vader... Thanks for not saying anything in front of the class."

Vader snorted, rolling his eyes, "I should go ahead and recommend you for expulsion on the grounds that you are far too timid to be a fighter. No, Mr. Arc... Ozpin informed me about your situation, and requested that I helped you progress and keep up with your class. You are not being expelled."

Jaune froze, his mind unable to process what Vader had told him, "Wh-what? But my transcripts, they were-"

"Forged? Yes, he already knows about it. However, the headmaster sees a type of potential that is rare amongst young men and women these days, and believes that you could excel in this line of work." Vader handed the shield over to Jaune, who took it with shaking hands. "Calm down, Jaune. I am not going to hurt you... I merely wanted to speak to you. The pain will come later, during training."

Jaune went even paler, nearly dropping the shield again, "Y-Yes, sir..."

Vader could have groaned. He was getting absolutely nowhere with this boy! WHy did he expect anything more though? He shook his head, gesturing for the boy to stay put. Then he stepped outside, "Miss Nikos, could you join us for a moment?"

The redhead girl slammed her opponents (two of Team CRDL's members) into the ground hard enough to crack the stone underneath and make Vader wince, before turning to see the Sith Lord beckoning to her. She murmured a quick apology to the boys and jogged over to Vader, "You needed me, Professor?"

Vader nodded and ushered her inside. When Pyrrha saw Jaune shaking like a leaf and paler than a Grimm's bone mask, she turned to Vader accusingly, "What's wrong with him? What did you do to Jaune?"

Vader almost laughed at the waves of concern and teenage feelings radiating off of Pyrrha. He shook his head, explaining what had happened to Jaune. The athlete's green eyes widened, and she looked at Jaune. Jaune seemed to shrink in on himself, terrified of someone else knowing his secret. When Vader was finished, he looked at Pyrrha, "Miss. Nikos, I want you to train Jaune how to use his blade."

That jarred both teenagers, and they looked at him in shock. Vader waved off the questions before they began, "Mr. Arc, I would train you myself, but since you seem frightened by your own shadow, I cannot effectively teach you. Fear teaches obedience, or rebellion. It does not provide training to fight. Miss. Nikos uses a sword and shield, similar to yours, and from what I understand she's already a world famous fighter. Now, during this class, instead of practicing with the other students, you will be in the library, working on class assignments. You will do combat training every night after classes are over for at least two hours. Is that understood?"

Pyrrha nodded quickly, looking absolutely delighted by the sudden turn of events. She didn't seem to care that Jaune had lied to get into the school. In fact, that seemed to get her even more excited. Jaune still looked terrified, but less so now that it wasn't going to be Vader pounding the lessons into his brain.

"Good... And I want you back in this arena two weeks from now, after classes are over for the day. You are dismissed from the class."

Vader watched as the two teens hurried from the room, eager to get out for two very different reasons. The Sith Lord himself followed shortly after, returning to his duties of inspecting the other students. A flicker in the Force warned him slightly, and he leaned to the left to dodge a flying green blur. He bent down to see Lie Rin lying in a smoking heap on the floor. A girlish laugh told him that Yang Xiao-Long had successfully beat the Bantha poo-doo out of the lighter boy. A definite surprise. He inspected Yang's aura through the force and noticed something unusual. Her semblance was very active at the moment, yet her aura was nearly in the red. Strange. He would have to investigate that at a later time. There were more pressing matters to attend to, namely Miss Valkyrie about to hammer Mr. Winchester to death. He sighed, pulling the two apart with a gesture and walking over to the pair, "Miss Valkyrie, I would like to remind you that while I did say it was possible for a student here to die here with few repercussions, it would not bode well if my students were the ones doing the killing."

Nora giggled, "Sorry, Professor Vader, it won't happen again."

Vader could feel a vein pulsing in his head as he waved her apology off, scanning the rest of the arena for anymore problems. Almost immediately, he saw Ruby Rose flailing wildly to try and land a blow on Blake Belladonna. Belladonna was doing an excellent job of dodging and returning fire with her rather unique looking sidearm. But Ruby was firing her rifle with reckless abandon, using the recoil to throw herself around. Vader had to block several bullets in rapid succession before he finally just tore the scythe/rifle combination from her grasp.

"Ruby Rose, that is _enough!"_

Every student in the arena froze as Ruby was pulled off her feet. She yelped in surprised, looking around for her beloved Crescent Rose. Vader glowered at her, holding the deadly weapon in his hands. He slowly approached the girl, his force presence actually driving Ruby to her knees.

"What exactly do you hope to achieve with such brash tactics?" Ruby opened her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by Vader. "If it's shooting your allies via stray bullet, then you nearly succeeded. I say nearly, because I cannot consider myself your ally."

Ruby blinked in confusion, taking several moments to decipher the somewhat cryptic statement. Then her eyes went wide. "Oh, my Oum! I am so sorry, Professor Vader! I didn't mean to shoot yo- Wait... I did shoot you, right?"

Vader dipped his head low enough to move the helmet, before twisting the scythe to where he was pointing the firing end at Ruby. His finger was on the trigger and the cold aura washing over him was enough to tell everyone he meant business. Ruby yelped, falling back on her rear. Any childlike ignorance fell from her face as she realized what sort of danger she was in. Vader held the weapon for several more seconds before letting it fall to the ground with a metallic clang. Then he turned away, glaring at the class. They shifted restlessly, each thinking that Vader was absolutely nuts, but too afraid to say anything against him. "You think you are too young to worry about such things like a battlefield, to worry about your comrades dying due to your negligence, but you are not. The moment you stepped through the gates of this school, you were called upon to protect the people in your kingdom. The people in this arena. Your classmates and brothers-in-arms... You must rely upon them as they rely upon you to keep them alive during a fight of any type."

He turned to look back at the shaking Ruby, his harsh, mechanical breathing ringing out in the now completely silent arena, "I will be confiscating your weapon until you can learn to fight without it. Is th-"

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Vader whipped around, searching for the source of the shrill cry of outrage. Yang Xiao-Long was approaching him, eyes blood red and hair ablaze. She was trembling with pure rage. The Sith Lord raised an eyebrow, checking the girl's intentions with a quick scan. Surely she wasn't going to try and attack him?

"That's her weapon! She made it with her bare hands! You can't just take it and tell her to learn how to live without it!"

Vader just shook his head ever so slightly, keeping the calm, stoic posture that unnerved so many people. "Yes, I can. If she cannot utilize her weapon safely, then I will remove her ability to use it. And if she has difficulties with fighting sans said weapon, then this is even better for her. A sort of learning experience."

"But she can't fight without a weapon! Look at her! Does it look like she can hold her own in a fistfight? No offense, Ruby."

Vader stared at Yang for a minute, considering what he should do next. While she was right about Ruby not being built to withstand a brawl, there was someone else who looked frail and unassuming. "Apprentice... Come here."

Neo leapt down from the arena stands, landing lightly on her feet with barely a sound. She walked up to her master before taking a knee and bowing her head, "What is... your bidding... my master?"

Whispers broke out amongst the class, but Darth Vader ignored them all, "Give me your saber, Apprentice."

Neo drew her weapon slowly, offering it up to Vader without looking up. Vader summoned it to his hand, inspecting it carefully. The Jedi who built this particular saber was actually a padawan changeling around Neo's age. It was ironic that it should find someone so similar to her. He nodded slowly, feeling strange ripples in the Force as he held the weapon. It wasn't a bad feeling, more like... something was being repaired with what he was doing here. "Apprentice... I want you to fight Miss. Xiao-Long, without using your lightsaber."

Yang's jaw dropped as Vader's words hit her, "Are you absolutely _insane_!? She's like, half my size! I could seriously hurt her!"

Vader ignored her protests, clipping the hilt to his belt as he walked away, "If you manage to severely injure her, then perhaps I made the wrong choice in an apprentice. Apprentice... try not to kill her."

Neo felt a grin creep across her face as she croaked out, "Of course... master."

Yang winced at the sound of Neo's voice, immediately thinking there was something wrong with Neo, "Professor Vader, I refuse to fight someone who is-URK!"

Vader could only smile and watch as Neo used the Force to throw Yang into the side of the arena. Students scambled over each other to dodge the blonde cannonball. Yang dropped to the ground, gasping for air as Neo slowly walked closer, removing her cloak and letting it fall to the ground. She wore the standard Beacon Academy uniform, with a belt where her lightsaber should have gone. Her multicoloured eyes flickered between pink and white, and a small smirk played on her lips as she shook her head. Yang snarled in rage, picking herself up and using the recoil from her gauntlets to launch herself at the diminutive girl.

Neo leaned back barely avoiding the swipe for her face. Then she continued leaning going further and further until she gave a small jump and turned it into a back-flip. Her boot slammed into the overextended Yang's chin, sending her reeling. But Neo wasn't done yet. As she landed, Neo darted forward and into Yang's guard. She gripped the girl's wrist tightly, guiding it up to the blond girl's face and triggering the firing mechanism with a pulse of the Force. Yang's face vanished in a bright flash of yellow and her Aura sparked, giving out with a sharp crack. The blonde girl staggered back, a dazed look on her face as she swayed alarmingly. Neo grinned, lunging forward again and putting her full weight into one final shot to the girl's face, dropping her instantly. She shook her hand out, looking down at the unconscious brawler triumphantly. Then she turned and knelt down, bowing her head as Vader approached to inspect her work.

"Well done, my apprentice..." Vader towered over Yang, waving a hand while using the Force to revive her. "Get up, you fool."

Yang sat up with a groan, looking around in confusion, "Wha-what happened? I remember her getting a kick in on my chin... and then a flash of light..."

Vader raised an eyebrow, using the Force to pull Yang to her feet, "Your partner can tell you what happened on the way to the infirmary. Miss Belladonna, please take Yang to the infirmary, I believe she might have a concussion after that fight."

The class stared quietly as Blake let Yang lean on her as they left the arena. Vader checked the time, frowning as he realized class was over for the day, "That is all the time we have for today. Miss Rose, I suggest you ask Lie Rin for assistance with learning how to fight hand to hand. He seems to have a similar frame to yours."

Lie Rin snapped to attention at the sound of his name being mentioned, looking at Vader, then at Ruby, before bowing slightly to Vader, "I'll be glad to help her learn, Professor."

Vader smiled ever so slightly under his mask, "I'll speak to Headmaster Ozpin about getting you some help with a training regime. After all, I don't think Miss Rose will appreciate your er… _health drinks."_ He almost laughed at the expression his partner pulled, waving him off. "Now go, class is dismissed for the day. I expect to see all of you here at 0800 hours sharp. That includes you, Team CRDL. Fail me again, and I will not be so lenient in my punishment."

Vader turned away, walking towards the edge of the arena with Crescent Rose in his hands. Once he reached the wall, he used the Force to pick himself up and drift lightly into the stands. Ruby chased after him, pale and shaken, but determined to retrieve her weapon. Neo watched her for a moment, before gesturing towards the twins, indicating that they should get to their next class. This was a battle Ruby was going to have to fight on her own.

 _ **Sorry for the sort of cliffhanger. I was at 5000 words, and needed to wrap up the chapter. Anyways, tell me what you think. Leave a review, say what you'd like to happen in the future, and take a look at some of my other stories. I'm steadily trying to get back into the swing of things on other stories. In fact, I have the second chapter of "An Act of Faith" open right now. I was trying to get "Claws and Wands," but every time I got through a good portion of it, something happened to where I lost either all or most of my progress. So… Yeah, I decided to tackle that one later. However, I do hope you were satisfied with the performance of our resident Sith Lord this chapter! I tried to make him as brutal as possible without actually killing or dismembering his students.**_


	11. MAJOR AN

_**Alright, this is a major announcement! I have just created my very own page! For a while now, I've been receiving suggestions that I try to get paid for my work, and for the most part, I've dismissed them. After all, I enjoy writing, and even more so I enjoy people enjoying my work. I didn't want to have people pay for it. But recent events have left me... well, I'm dealing with a case of fraud and a recent pay problem wiped my account. I have student loans to pay, a phone bill, and a credit card to pay off. It isn't completely FUBAR yet, but I think it's getting there. I dislike asking for help (my parents have always had a field day with that one), but I think it's time to suck up my pride and turn to my fans. I know it I don't have that large of a fan base compared to most authors on this site. Heck, why would I? I don't exactly write mainstream stuff... However, I think it's time to suck up my pride and start looking for some help. My page is www. Writing_Soldier. I'm not asking for or expecting much, and I'm betting most of the people here can't really help... but if you could spread the word, that would be great. I need all the help I can get. Now... I think it's time to answer a few concerns I noticed in my reviews. Especially in "The Force of Change."**_

 _ **So... I think the biggest question I keep getting is: "When will I update my stories?"**_

 _ **Well, there are some thing's you need to know. My updates may or may not happen, dependant upon my schedule. I am a soldier in the United States Army. I have duties to attend to throughout the day, and sometimes I just don't have the time to get to this. I am however, concentrating a little bit more on "The Force of Change" right now, so you can expect more regular updates on that. In fact, the next chapter should come out within the next twenty-four hours of this update being made. So... head on over there if you want some of my writing.**_

 _ **Second: I have received several requests to see/review rough drafts of other stories... I'm actually confused by this. I'm not a professional writer. My mother is definitely a better writer than me as a teacher and someone who has taught up to college level classes. (She's a math teacher right now, and the best in Texas.) She was the one who taught me how to read and write before I really even started in school. I have her to thank for everything I know about writing (really, I'm pretty sure she could teach some of my old high school teachers a few things). As for reviewing and giving suggestions to said writers...**_

 _ **I'm going to give you a bit of advice. I've been writing since my freshman/sophomore year of high school. My first attempt at writing a story, for those of you who remember that far, was a ten chapter, 900 word story full of errors and problems. I have actually put more time and effort into my writing than... well, just about anything else, really. I think the only other "legitimate" thing I do more than write is play music. The point is, just work at it. I don't write like people were taught in school. There's no rough draft, no brainstorming, nothing of the sort. Everything you see on my page is completely free-written. It's my raw thoughts and how I see things playing out. Minimal planning and editing. Even what you're seeing now is simply my thoughts on the matter. I've come a long way from the days of the first Black Rose... The "Force of Change" has already grown into a ten chapter, 30,000 word novella. I love to write, and I'm glad others love to read my stories. If you already enjoy what you're doing, then keep on doing it. If you really want suggestions on your writing, then don't just ask one person. Post your chapters! Your best critics won't always come from people more experienced than you, but the ones who actually read your stories! Post the stories and then let the readers decide. If you want me to look at it afterwards, then you can just PM me the link! I enjoy reading stories as much as I enjoy writing!**_

 _ **Number Three: This is concerning some of my stories that people have been anxiously been awaiting updates for stories such as: "An Act of Faith," "Tomorrow's Destiny V2," and my BRS/Harry Potter Crossovers. I can assure you, there are chapters in the works. I actually lost a lot of work on "Claws and Wands" due to a computer crash... Really need to get a new one at some point... But that's later down the road. MUCH later. Just be patient, and your chapters will come. Like the saying goes, "A watched pot never boils."**_

 _ **Number Four: This is actually an extra note concerning the page. For those who donate the most, you will receive a cameo in one of my stories. As time goes on, and I get more time on my hands, the rewards will increase. I will try and take commissions for my music covers if I ever manage to do any.**_

 _ **Number Five: This is a shoutout to my brother. I won't say his name, but you know who you are. It's annoying trying to communicate with you on this site if you skirt around the shadows and only comment as a guest. For crying out loud, it takes two minutes to make a basic profile on this site! Make one!**_

 _ **Alright... Now we come to the biggest thing I saw on my reviews for "The Force of Change." These are answers to reviews put out by a guest going by the name of Axcel!**_

 ** _1\. Concerning Vader's title. You're right on the Supreme Commander part, I just like the sound of High Commander. It gives it that shock and awe feeling. As for the Lord Vader shite, Lord is his title and official capacity within the Empire, while Darth Vader is his name. It's like a Lord in old England. He is a Sith Lord, yes, but no one really knows what that is. So, he has the title of Lord, and since his name is Darth Vader, that makes him Lord Darth Vader. According to the Imperial Census, his name really is Darth Vader, which is why Leia literally calls him Darth. It isn't giving him a title, it's saying his first name!_**

 ** _2\. Concerning the Lightsaber: While it's entertaining to think of a lightsaber as some sort of contained laser weapon, the truth is that it's just not scientifically possible. A laser would be invisible, whether it's contained or not, and the amount of energy it would have to put out to cut through durasteel is equivalent to that of a small star. Looking at it from a scientific standpoint, you need something that fills these requirements._**

 ** _a. Hot enough to _melt_ through steel, not cut it._**

 ** _b. Hisses and hums as it moves through a medium_**

 ** _c. produces Ozone and Ionized gasses as it travels through the air._**

 ** _If we were to follow these three requirements, then the only suitable material is plasma. Superheated, ionized gasses that can be manipulated to create a glowing blade. Using electromagnetic fields, one can contain the plasma, aka an Emitter Shroud. The sound generated upon activation, is actually very similar to that of a plasma torch being activated._**

 _ **2: Concerning Ozpin's assumption about the Empire. Remember, Ozpin is very close friends with another military commander. Despite James's disciplinary attitude, he is still very caring about the people surrounding him, and doesn't generally make death threats or outright kill people. Vader has killed nearly a hundred men in a single night, more than half of those deaths occurring simply because they were in his way. He already has made several threats, one in particular being a direct threat, to Ozpin's life. And since Vader already admitted to being the High/Supreme Commander of the Galactic Empire, he knows that Vader is lying when he says "superiours." There is only one other person Vader could possibly be referring to when he says "report to his superiours." The Emperor. Also, he admitted to being second in command, a Dark Lord of the Sith (what good, benevolent empire would put a Dark Lord in charge?), and that he had the authority to arrest and kill anyone within the borders of said Empire. Glynda was watching that previously.**_

 ** _3\. Concerning Glynda: Glynda was the one who watched Vader ruthlessly cut down over a dozen men with no effort at all, during which he was in fact _toying_ with them. He's threatened Ozpin already, she knows he was ready to kill the Malachite twins for attacking him, and he straight up admitted to killing thousands of people with his bare hands and millions, if not billions more through his orders! Also, he states that he wishes to call upon the Empire to assist him with leaving the planet, and judging from his words, that means they will be coming to subjugate the planet as well. She is thinking about the students when considering the Rebel Alliance. She doesn't want the students to be hurt or subjugated by an Imperialistic threat from beyond the planet's confines._**

 ** _4\. Concerning Vader's saber: If you notice, I specifically stated that he used a Limiter Ring to generate the required dampening energy to convert a Sith Saber to a training saber. Yes, it is something I just threw in there, but I needed to keep him from outright killing his students due to their own incompetence. Neo's saber is an old Jedi blade, meaning it has the required settings. Vader's saber is a Sith blade, meaning he had to use an accessory to make it safer._**

 ** _5\. The Emperor is an idiot sometimes._**

 ** _Alright... I think that covers everything. Remember, even if you can't donate, then try to spread the word around. Who knows maybe I'll get more readers out of this!_** **_Sincerely,_** **_Dr. Bartholomew J. Tucker._**


	12. Choose Your Battles Wisely

_**Well, I finally got this chapter finished. Had to completely reset my computer, meaning I lost all of my work. Even my external drive crashed for some reason! All that hard work… Just gone. So yeah, I apologize ahead of time if this seems a bit awkward or hastily thrown together. It sort of was. There**_ **is** _ **a bit of a cliffhanger towards the end, but that**_ _ **'s because I was starting to ramble and needed a place to pause. Hope you enjoy! And start looking around on my page for some new updates. I'm beginning work on my first short story! Just look up Writing Soldier on . My profile pic is still the guy with the tentacle a shoutout to**_ **Lu Bane Na,** _ **aka**_ **Loves2Spooge,** _ **for being my first supporter on the site!**_

Chapter 10: Choose Your Battles Wisely (Or, I didn't have a better title for this since it's just filler.)

Vader had been many things in his lifetime. A slave and son when he was a child. He had been a Jedi and master to a rather enigmatic Togruta girl. Now, he was a Sith Lord, apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith, and a military general in a galactic empire. He had killed so many people, either to get a ob done, or simple through impatience. He had actually earned a reputation for killing incompetent officers in the field.

But what he had never been, nor had he ever expected to be, was a teacher to a bunch of hormonal teenagers who had no concept of the Galactic Empire, space travel, or military professionalism. That meant he was having an exceedingly difficult time keeping his patience in line and temper in check as Ruby Rose followed him around in a vain attempt to retrieve her weapon.

"But, Professor Vader, I _need_ Crescent Rose! A lot of the classes here require a weapon!"

Vader shook his head, walking briskly towards the teacher's apartment complex, "No, Miss Rose, the only classes that require you to utilize weapons are my own, and on occasion, Professor Port. All other classes are core educational classes where the only weapons allowed are your mind and writing utensil."

Ruby scowled, trying to come up with another excuse, "Umm... What if a Grimm attacks? Or... The White Fang? What do I do if I can't defend myself?"

"Simple, run away. Retreat is always an option, when there is no other option."

Ruby paused, trying to wrap her mind around the morbid thought, before giving up and forging ahead, "But what if I can't retreat? What if I'm surrounded on all sides with no way to fight back? What if they have some sort of way to keep me from running away? What if-?"

Vader rounded on the short teenager, his cape flaring out as a cold pulse of Force Fear radiated off him, "Miss Rose, if you cannot run away, and you have no way to fight back, then you die. It is that simple. And if they wish to take you prisoner, then you must pray that your allies are to attempt a rescue. Until then, don't give anything away. If you hold out long enough, you will either die, or be rescued." Vader's voice was the dull rumble of an Alpha Grimm in Ruby's eyes as he continued. "Miss Rose, you nearly shot me several times during class, and it is a miracle that you didn't seriously injure someone due to your negligence. Do you want to be the one responsible for the death of a team member? What about your sister? How would you react if you accidentally killed her?"

"B-But, Professor Vader, we have our auras to keep that from happening."

Vader looked down at her coldly, "Your aura is weak compared to the dangers found in the world at large." He turned on his heels and continued his march to his quarters, feeling that he had done a good enough job to dissuade the young girl from any further attempts at regaining her weapon. To his utter amazement though, she continued to follow him, even more determined than before. With a growl, he looked around, "Girls... Deal with this nuisance."

Before Ruby could even open her mouth to question what he meant, Neo and the twins appeared out of nowhere, dropping down from the ceiling in the case of Neo. The twins simply stepped out from around the corners of two adjacent pillars. They had been following the Dark Lord silently in an attempt to sneak up on him, but that obviously failed. Neo peered at Ruby from within the cowl of her cloak, smirking slightly. Ruby stepped back nervously, before standing her ground and glaring at Vader, "I want my weapon back Professor. It is mine, and you can't simply take it from me. I have never hurt any bystanders with stray rounds, and I know exactly how to use it."

Vader paused, chuckling softly, "Spoken like a Jedi, young one... However, that is still not enough to warrant the return of this weapon. You _will_ learn how to fight without a weapon. And that is final. Goodbye, Miss Rose."

Ruby stepped forward to say something again, but was stopped as Neo ignited her saber and swiped it mere inches from her face. She swallowed nervously as the pint sized girl sank into an attack stance, realizing she was in one of the situations that Professor Vader had just talked about. She knew she should run away, there was no way she could take on any of them without Crescent Rose, much less all three of them at once... But she was determined to get that weapon back no matter what. So she charged the trio, screaming a battle cry...

Team RWBY dorm room, fifteen minutes later

"HE DID _WHAT!?"_

Ruby looked up meekly at her sister while Weiss tended to her new collection of bruises and a swollen eye. She had lost the fight with Vader's apprentice and her friends... If it could even be called that. Neo's first strike had actually completely shattered Ruby's aura, something she had never experienced in her life. And the subsequent ten seconds of mayhem left her battered and bruised. Yang was absolutely livid when she found out, and it took Weiss restraining her with a series of Glyphs to keep her from leaving the dorm and attacking the large telekinetic man. Blake was sitting on her bed, a long forgotten book in her hands.

"I uh... Tried to get my scythe back. The three girls Vader has got in my way, so I uh... tried to go through them..."

"And they beat you up!?"

"W-Well, I d-did attack them. And he did tell them to er... 'take care of me.' So..."

Yang struggled to escape the Glyphs holding her back, "Ruby, they hurt you! Badly! Why are you making excuses for them? You should be reporting this -"

"Good evening, Team RWBY."

All four girls turned to the open door to see the headmaster standing there. Professor Goodwitch was behind him, holding Crescent Rose in it's collapsed form. A small smile played at his lips as he beheld the rather unusual spectacle before him. Yang twisted to get a better look at the man, "Professor Ozpin! Ruby was attacked by-"

Ozpin held up a hand, instantly silencing the brazen blonde with a single gesture, "I already understand what happened. Lord Vader reported the incident to me as soon as he reached his apartment. From what I understand, Miss Rose was following him in an attempt to retrieve her weapon after it had been confiscated, correct?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And when informed that she would not be receiving it until certain requirements were met, she continued to follow him. He called upon his apprentice and two other girls under his guidance to dissuade her from any further attempts. From what I've been told, and what Professor Goodwitch viewed on surveillance tapes, she attacked the girls in an attempt to retrieve her weapon."

All three girls froze and looked at Ruby, who was trying her best to shrink in on herself. Yang, her eyes now back to their natural lilac colour, looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or scold Ruby, "Rubes… Did you actually attack them?"

Ruby nodded meekly, gingerly rubbing her black eye. Weiss slapped her hand away and began applying a salve made of ice dust to the bruise, "Don't touch it, you dolt. Why would you do such a thing? You know you can barely hold your own in a one on one hand fight. You just saw Yang get obliterated by that short girl! To take on all three of them at once is-"

"I built Crescent Rose with my bare hands! My uncle trained me to use it personally! I put my heart and soul in to that weapon, Weiss! It's like asking Yang to cut her hair!"

Weiss looked utterly shocked. Ruby had actually raised her voice at the heiress! She looked back sheepishly at Professor Ozpin, only for her face to go slack in shock as a third person appeared behind him. A towering pillar of black armour, accompanied by a steady, mechanical breathing. Professor Vader. At his side, and hovering behind him, she could see Neo and the strange twins. "P-Professor Vader! Wh-What are _you_ doing here?"

Ozpin stepped aside, allowing Vader entrance to the room. The massive man had to duck in order to avoid hitting his head on the top of the door frame, and his bulk seemed to take up the entirety of the room. He looked around, taking in the rather unusual setup with a keen eye. He paused on the beds the longest before turning to Ruby. The younger girl seemed to shrink in on herself, looking down at her feet. Vader allowed his breathing to cycle for a moment, before speaking. "One part brave, three parts fool."

Ruby blinked in confusion, looking up at him, "Eh? Excuse me?"

Vader sighed, crossing his arms, "It's a saying that describes what my apprentice and I have seen of you. You have bravery in spades, but you are still young, and still very foolish. I agree with Ozpin when he says that you have the potential and skill to be a leader, and your performance with the Nevermore during initiation proves that." He raised a hand to silence the incoming bombardment of questions from the teenager. "However, you have an independent streak that would put many smugglers and bounty hunters to shame. You are the leader of a _team,_ not a one girl army." The man sighed heavily, shaking his head and looking to Weiss, who was staring at Neo nervously.

"Miss Schnee, you're Miss Rose's partner. What do you think of her?"

"Wh-What!? Oh, I uh… Well…" Weiss stammered quickly, floundering for an answer. Thankfully, she was saved by Professor Ozpin.

"Pr-er… Lord Vader, I understand your concern for Team RWBY, but I doubt you came all this way to talk to a group of teenage girls. I just need to give Miss Rose her weapon back, and then we can go somewhere more private."

Ruby hopped to her feet, an excited expression on her face, "Really!? I can have Crescent Rose back?"

Weiss looked triumphantly at Vader, "So, he really wasn't allowed to take her weapon? Headmaster, can we please have a real teacher? I mean, the only thing he did today was have his "apprentice" beat up on Yang, scare the living daylights out of Jaune, assault Cardin Winchester and give him a detention, and bully Ruby."

Glynda frowned, handing Ruby's scythe over to the bruised girl, "Miss Schnee, while I may not agree with some of Mr. Vader's past, he _is_ a professor here at Beacon Academy. If he feels he needs to take a more disciplinary approach to his classes, then that is up to him. And Mr. Arc is fine. He's currently training with Miss Nikos on the training field, as per Vader's orders. I should give you detention for insulting a teacher right in front of him, but I think I'll let Vader decide."

 _Lord_ Vader was glaring at Glynda, his masked face somehow conveying intense irritation. When he turned to Weiss, he muttered softly, "Again… The children here remind me of the Jedi…" Then he shook his head and continued. "Miss Schnee, while this may not be my first day as a teacher of some sort, it is my first day teaching a large group of civilian children. You can disagree with my methods, but it would be greatly appreciated if you waited to discuss it in my office. Is that clear?" He waited for the heiress to nod, before turning to leave. "I will let this go for now, but fail to hold your tongue again, and there will be repercussions."

The whole of team RWBY held their collective breaths as Lord Vader left, taking Glynda and Ozpin with him. He turned to Neo, staring right at her for a moment. The shorter girl bowed, signing something two the twins once she came back up. The three of them turned to team RWBY. Melanie was the first to say something, "You know, I'm surprised they didn't lock you up after that little fiasco at Junior's Club, blondie."

"Hang on… Aren't you the two girls I beat up?"

Melanie twitched, hanging her head, "God damn it…"

Yang laughed, "Oh my god, how the hell did two drop outs like you get into Beacon Academy!? If I could drop you two after taking down an entire gang, then they must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel."

Blanked blinked owlishly, looking at her partner, "Wait, you know these girls, Yang?"

Yang laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I was getting some information from their boss, and he didn't like my methods. So, he sicced the entire gang on me, plus these two. Ah… Ruby saw the end result of that one."

Ruby looked up from her weapon, pausing in her insanely thorough inspection of every inch of the cold, hard steel, "Wait, so _that's_ what you were doing at a nightclub? You told me you were doing a job!"

"Well, I was! Only, it was a job for me, not someone else!"

Weiss cleared her throat, glaring pointedly at Neo, "Right, so pointless events aside, I have a few questions of you, Neo. Who is Vader? I just went through a list of every noble family in Atlas, and there's no such thing as a Vader family, or this Sith Lord thing. And what was that he just said about Jedi? What's a Jedi?"

Neo frowned, realizing there might be a problem. She turned to Melanie, staring at her for a brief moment. The white themed girl nodded quickly, dashing out of the room. Then she turned to Weiss, pulling out her scroll.

 _Sorry, snow princess, but I can't tell you that. Try again._

Weiss scowled, narrowing her eyes at the small smirk forming on Neo's face, "Alright then, tell me how you beat me in class today? What form are you using? That wasn't a standard fencing stance, and it certainly wasn't from anywhere in Atlas."

Neo cocked her head to the side, considering the question. The style she used? The was probably okay to discuss.

 _Master Vader has his own style of swordplay called Sieben Formen. It's actually seven different forms spread out over an umbrella. I use Form II, Makashi. It's similar to your style, but more free flowing. I have a greater variety of attacks than you, and it gives me a little more unpredictability. Also, whereas you throw your entire being into pressing the attack, I use as little energy as possible to redirect the blow and wait for an opening._

Weiss stared at the screen, taking Neo's words into consideration. Her technique _had_ been called stiff on occasion, but she was able to put so many attacks out, that it didn't always matter. "What about Professor Vader? What er… "form" does he use?"

At this question, both Miltia and Neo winced, remembering past and present bruises due to Vader's rather brutal fighting style.

 _Form V, Djem So. Master Vader has the power to pretty much brute force his way through most obstacles. He also gains a range advantage because his style is designed to deflect projectiles back to their owners._

Weiss's eyes widened, and she looked at her team. The ability to deflect projectiles with that sort of accuracy? Just who was Darth Vader? Blake was the next one to ask a question, "Neo, I noticed your er… "sword" isn't solid. What is it? Some sort of dust matrix? I also saw that it's telescopic, so how does it get enough durability to withstand… well, _any_ pressed attack?"

Neo froze, looking the Miltia for help. She couldn't answer that question without giving something away! Miltia glared at Blake, coming to her friend's rescue, "The weapon belongs to Lord Vader. If you want any information on that, you need to ask him."

Blake blinked owlishly at the sudden cold tone from the soft spoken girl, "Uh… Okay. What about her semblance? I didn't see her use it once during class, and what I saw during initiation… That looked suspiciously like advanced telekinesis."

Neo nodded, typing rapidly on her scroll. Before she could show it though, she froze, her eyes going blank for a moment. When they cleared, she looked at Miltia fearfully, and signed something at her. She nodded quickly, and the two of them ran out of the room.

Yang cleared her throat after several seconds of silence, "Ooookaayy… Any idea what _that_ was about?"

Weiss shook her head, "No, not a clue… There's something going on here, I know that much."

Yang snorted, grabbing Ruby so she could inspect her black eye, "Yah think? Giant men in life support suits, criminals becoming huntresses, and a creepy, ice cream coloured, mute midget."

Weiss glared at her, "Hey, Neo isn't creepy or mute, nor is she a midget!"

Yang snickered, "Oh? Since when did a Schnee defend anyone outside of First Class?"

"For your information, when someone is able to take me down in less than half a second, that merits a little respect. And I would suggest checking your own privilege, Yang. She utterly destroyed you without even trying! At least I held her back for a bit."

Black cleared her throat, "Would you two quit arguing? I noticed something pretty significant just then. Weiss, how often do you see the _exact_ same semblance in one room?

Weiss frowned, "Well… It's pretty rare… Extremely rare, actually. Usually, the only time you will ever see the exact same semblance is in families. As a semblance can sometimes be hereditary."

"Right… and does Neo look like she's the daughter of Professor Vader?"

Yang laughed, "Uh, I don't think so! That would be a very awkward conversation. I mean, she calls the guy Master! I mean imagine it!" She dropped her voice in an attempt to match Vader's baritone, "Neo, I am your father!" She giggled, shaking her head."

 **Meanwhile, on Tatooine**

A certain, scruffy, blonde farm boy sneezed.

 **Back to the story.**

Blake rolled her eyes, "Neo has the exact same semblance as Vader, and they even have the same activation. Did either of you see any sort of aura flare up when they used their semblance?"

The team took a moment to think about it, eventually giving up. Weiss shook her head, "No… that _is_ strange."

"Exactly… Something is going on here… Something big."

 **Deep Space, 29.5 AU from Remnant. SSD Executor**

Acting-Commander Piett stood on the bridge, hovering over the shoulder of a 501st Trooper. They had deployed the Recon Droid 15 minutes ago, and it was finally dropping out of hyperspace. There were about to get their first glimpse of the mystery planet. The clone trooper made a few adjustments to the console, "Sir, we will be receiving signal in ten seconds. Putting it on the main holo-projector now."

Piett nodded, taking the subtle hint to move away with some grace as the bridge's holo-projector fizzled to life. A large globe appeared overhead, displaying a planet never before recorded by the Empire. Breathable atmosphere… Fledgling civilization… Stray Imperial signal… Piett's eyes widened as he saw that someone had sent a short range communication from the planet's surface using Imperial frequencies. "Trooper! Can we decode that transmission?"

The veteran clone trooper turned to look at the readout,frowning under his helmet, "Uh… Right away sir. Some of it might be corrupted due to range and energy loss but… Here we go:"

All personnel were silent as the last voice they expected to hear came over the bridge's speakers, "This is Darth Vader, hailing the Executor… Come in Admiral Ozzel." There was a slight pause as Vader waited for a response. "Sithspit, out of range. Where the stang am I?" The sound of movement and rattling debris could be heard before Vader cut the transmission off. The entire bridge remained silent, utterly shocked by the revelation. Their commander was on that planet, and had been for nearly a full month.

Piett slowly turned towards the 501st trooper, "Trooper… Get that probe down their to find Lord Vader, immediately. That's an order. And then fire half of the probes we have left. We need to contact and inform him of our situation. I will record a holo-message to be given to every droid sent out." He moved to the intercom, broadcasting a message across the entire ship. "All hands, report to your stations. Engineering, we need those engines at full power immediately. And try to use some of the probe pods to try and patch up the hyperdrive! We have located Lord Vader! He has landed on a possibly inhabited planet, so we need to prepare for a possible military encounter with the natives."

Alarms began blaring across the Executor, sending the personnel into a frenzied rush. Storm Troopers and 501st Troopers alike were working towards the same goal. Get to the commander and bring him back to the ship.

 _ **So, I hope you enjoyed the new installment for this story. I'll try to recover most of the work I lost, but with the new original story and my music adding to my workload, I'll more than likely be focusing on one fanfiction at a time. Since the Force of Change appears to be the most popular, that will be the one most heavily worked on. There will be periodic updates to other stories when holidays and whatnot arrive, but I have a job people, and I can't be everywhere at once.**_

 _ **Now, I suppose I should answer a few questions before they pop up.**_

 _ **What's with Vader not immediately giving Ruby a detention? He did it to Cardin for a lot less, right?**_

 _ **Wrong, Cardin lied to Darth Vader, something he cannot stand. Failure is one thing, but do not try to make excuses and bald faced lies to a Dark Lord of the Sith. That's not good for your health. Another thing, Ruby was one of the students he was supposed to be helping. It wouldn't look good in his opinion, if he confiscated Ruby's weapon, and then followed that up with a detention immediately afterwards for trying to retrieve it.**_

 _ **Second: What's going on with Vader? You mentioned something about him wanting to speak with Ozpin towards the end, and you never really said anything about him meeting Raven Branwen.**_

 _ **All will be revealed… Have patience, younglings.**_

 _ **Where's Admiral Thrawn? And whatever happened to the Emperor/Empire?**_

 _ **Thrawn's off doing his own thing around the Chiss Ascendancy. He needs to check on a few things. As for the Empire, there really isn't much to elaborate upon. Gallius Rax is performing the same duties as Darth Vader, meaning most of Star Wars: Rogue One, and A New Hope are following the same timeline. No real need to take a look there. Now, the real fun is going to happen when the Emperor finds out that Admiral Thrawn has betrayed him.**_

 _ **Well, I'll be signing off for now. Remember, take a look at my page. I'm listed as the Writing Soldier. I have the same profile pic as I do here.**_


	13. The Plot Thickens?

_**Hello, readers! Here's the update! I'm really sorry for the delay on this thing, as there were several moving parts that I still don't think are working properly. I don't really know… Just tell me what you think. I feel like it's missing something.**_

Vader scowled under his mask, glaring resolutely at something that shouldn't be on remnant. A probe. An Imperial Probe to be exact. It had impacted about thirty kilometres outside of Vale, in the abandoned area of the city designated Mountain Glen. It was slightly damaged due to slamming through several buildings on its descent, but despite the repulsor-lifts being completely shot, it was still able to send and receive data. And imperial droid on it's own wouldn't give Vader reason to worry, especially if it were an older model. The Empire had sent thousands of these little drones into the unknown regions of the galaxy, which is where he was beginning to suspect he had landed. The chances of him encountering one of these probes, newly impacted or not, while slim, were still higher than… well… this.

The probe that had hit the ground was not an older model, but a _very_ recent and highly classified probe design carried by only _one_ Star Destroyer in the Empire.

The SSD Executor.

"Lord Vader, is everything okay? Do you know what this object is?"

The Sith Lord blinked himself out of his thoughts, turning to face Headmaster Ozpin, "This is an Viper Probe Droid, used by the Empire to scout out enemy or newly discovered worlds. It's primary function is to locate anomalies or artificial structures and then send the intel back to the Star Destroyer that sent it. This particular model was only carried by my flagship, the SSD Executor."

Ozpin frowned, realizing the significance of that statement, "Then if this is here… then-"

"The Executor is still operational, at least to some capacity. This probe was damaged during its descent, but several key functions are still active and fully operational. If the Executor is capable of spaceflight, then it is currently moving here as fast as possible. I will have to inspect this probe's central computer to ascertain what telemetry it used. With that, I can determine where the Executor was when it was launched."

Ozpin shifted nervously, knowing that the next few months, or even days, would determine the entire course of history for his planet… "Yes… I will have one of the second ye-"

"No, I will not allow any students to handle this particular device… Send for Raven Branwen. I understand you have ways of contacting her. And I know I can trust her to be discreet."

Ozpin froze, turning to stare at Vader, who had suddenly become much more pertinent than a metal probe from the sky. How did he know about Raven? Did he know that she was the Spring Maiden? The headmaster remained in stunned silence for several seconds, finally prompting Vader to speak again, his low baritone voice dark enough to give a Grimm pause.

"Headmaster, I do not have all day. I must move quickly if I am to obtain…"

The abrupt halt in Vader's voice seemed to snap Ozpin out of his frozen state, and he turned around quickly, realizing that Vader was no longer paying attention to him. Raven Branwen had stepped out of a portal, having sensed a disturbance through her magic. The trio remained very still for several long moments, waves of power radiating off of each of them.

After a sort of mental tug of war, Vader eked out on top and began the exchange, "Excellent timing, Miss Branwen… I was going to request your presence either way. It was just a matter of getting the Headmaster to agree to you coming here."

Raven glared at Ozpin through the slits of her mask, her distaste for the man apparent, "Yes… He would prefer to keep me as far away as possible from you, Lord Vader. What happened here?"

Ozpin was flummoxed. How did Raven know who Vader was? The Dark Lord rumbled with slight annoyance, gesturing to the downed probe droid, "This is what happened. A probe from my ship seems to have found its way here."

Raven raised an eyebrow, remembering the tale Vader had regaled her with during her daughter's initiation. "You mean the spaceship you reportedly crashed into a dead star?"

Vader twitched, glaring at the woman, "I did not crash the Executor into a black hole… I merely hyperjumped into it's event horizon and decided to attempt a slingshot maneuver with a ship the size of a city."

Raven said nothing, and merely stared at him. Eventually Vader scoffed and knelt next to the droid, muttering a few choice words in Huttese, "This probe should still have a working black box with its telemetry inside… Can you make a portal into my office, Miss Branwen?"

Raven crossed her arms, stepping forward to inspect the strange probe. She had never seen anything like it, and was both intrigued and unnerved by the downed object. After a moment, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. The problem with my portals is that it requires either a memorization of the area I'm going to, or a connection to someone within that area."

Vader opened his mouth respond, but was cut off by a thoroughly flustered Ozpin, "Now wait just a minute here! Raven, how do you possibly know this man? Lord Vader hasn't left the school since his arrival a month ago!"

Raven just glanced at Vader, who rolled his eyes under the helmet, "I met Miss Branwen during my Apprentice's initiation. She had arrived, along with her… _brother_ to watch Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose. By the way, did Mister Branwen survive being hit by his niece?"

Raven actually snickered at that, having nearly bust out laughing when she watched him get taken out by the red and black blur. Ozpin looked furtively at Raven, asking a silent question. The woman deadpanned and pointed at Vader, "Ozpin, you honestly think I was able to hide the fact that I'm the spring maiden from a man who can read minds?"

Ozpin's eyes widened, and he looked from Raven to the Sith Lord, who was facing away, and looking at his probe. After several seconds of silence he nodded, without looking at him, "Yes, Headmaster, I can indeed read minds with a little effort. I must say, you have formidable mental defenses, but nothing I haven't encountered before. Should I so wish, I can use you for my information. I would be painful and time consuming though, so I will use weaker willed minds."

Ozpin swallowed nervously, wondering not for the first time, who was really in charge of this ordeal? After a few seconds, Vader turned to Raven, "My office is located adjacent to the second training arena. Do you know the place?"

Raven frowned, considering the question. While she was at least somewhat familiar with most areas of Beacon Academy, there was no way she was going to be able to just pop a portal where ever she pleased, "Sorry, but I don't want to risk that. My portal might open up inside a wall if I try-"

"Do or do not, there is no try."

Raven blinked in confusion and looked at the massive man, "Excuse me?"

Vader lifted up the Probe through the Force, gesturing lightly at it, "Do not _try_ to do something, just do it. If you cannot trust in your innate abilities, then you are not worthy of having them. Do you know the room I am speaking of? There is a clear spot directly in the center of the room. I would like to place this in my quarters, but feel that would be too much for your "Semblance." Is an office going to be too much for it as well?"

Now it was Ozpin's turn to receive and incredulous look, this time from Raven. The silver haired man shrugged, hiding a small grin behind his coffee mug, "There _is_ a reason he's the Combat Instructor."

Raven scowled under her mask, "Yes, I can open the portal. Let's go." She irritably slashed her sword through the air, glaring at Vader as she did so, "I am not one of your students, by the way. Save the lectures for my daughter."

"It worked, didn't it?" Vader led the way through Raven's portal, waving dismissively at the woman. Raven grumbled irritably as she followed him, with Ozpin bringing up the rear.

About a thousand feet up, a single, solitary drone hovered above the crash site. It was an Atlasian scout drone, sent to investigate the site of the downed unidentified object. And it had just witnessed something utterly impossible. It quickly began flying back to the nearest Atlasian outpost, broadcasting its data on a secure channel.

As soon as Vader had stepped into his office, he was practically bombarded by a massive wave of fear and terror. He dropped the probe and ignited his saber, calling the weapon to his hands. Raven drew her katana as well, looking around in confusion, "What the hell, Vader!?"

"Quiet! SOmething's wrong…"

The trio remained still, the only movement in the room being Raven's portal collapsing as Vader stretched his senses out. He frowned under his mask, trying to recognize the strange aura. It seemed... familiar. He nearly leapt out of his skin as Neo streaked into the room, sobbing silently. The twins were hot on her heels, looking absolutely thunderous. Vader lowered his saber slightly,kneeling down to Neo's level as he tried to make sense of her muddled mind, "Apprentice, what are you sobbing about? This is unacceptable beh-"

"Oh, would you shove the "Sith Lord" act for a few minutes!? She's absolutely terrified!"

Vader looked up sharply at Melanie, preparing to reprimand her. Then he noticed that it wasn't just Neo's fear he was feeling. The twins were giving off an unnerved aura as well. He paused, glancing at his apprentice for a moment, before asking Miltiades, "What happened? Why is my apprentice acting like a child right now?"

The softer spoken twin bowed slightly, "Roman Torchwick has escaped. His prison transport was attacked, and he never turned up in the wreckage."

The Sith Lord narrowed his eyes at that and glared at Ozpin, "I believe you said something about him being placed in a high security prison, yes?"

Ozpin cleared his throat, looking rather uncomfortable. Raven muttered a quick farewell to the Sith Lord before vanishing through her portal and leaving Ozpin to his fate. The headmaster sighed, "Roman Torchwick is one of those individuals who can rarely be imprisoned, and has only be captured three times. If he sees an opportunity to escape, he will take it."

Vader crossed his arms, powerful waves of Force Fear radiating off of him. Even the girls under his protection were beginning to shy away from him. Ozpin's aura actually flickered around him as he fought off the outside attack. "Professor Oscar Ozpin, I accepted your deal under the impression that you had some amount of influence on this backwater planet. I am not tolerant of failure on my ship, and I shall not tolerate it from you either. Fail me again, and Beacon Academy will be looking for a new headmaster."

Ozpin opened his mouth to respond, but froze as he felt invisible fingers brushing against his throat. The amount of Force Fear radiating off of Vader was increasing by the second, and he realized that it would quickly begin attracting high level Grimm if it kept up. Wisely, he just shook his head and left. He would deal with Vader's temper later. Right now, he had to orchestrate Roman's capture. Or at least delay whatever plans he and his employer had.

Vader turned his full attention to Neo, dispelling the Force Fear. "Apprentice, Neo… Torchwick cannot hurt you ever again. You are a _Sith._ You are the apprentice to the Dark Side of the Force and heiress to the greatest legacy of this Galaxy. If you meet Roman again, even with the minimal amount of training you've received to this date, he will fall before your blade."

Neo shivered, rapidly signing to her master, "But Master Vader, what if he has Cinder with her?"

Vader's response was cold and harsh, "Then she will fall as well. No one on this planet can stand against the power of the Dark Side."

He caught Melanie rolling her eyes to the left and turned towards her, "Something to say. Malachite?"

She snapped to attention, shaking her head quickly, "N-No, Lord Vader."

He harrumphed, the sound hidden under his helmet. He was about to continue calming down his apprentice, when _something_ pinged his senses. He shot to his feet, turning to a nearby window. "Something… Is coming."

Miltia frowned, shading her eyes, "Hang on… If we're facing east, and it's late afternoon… Then why does it look like the sun is in the east? And why is it trailing smoke and flying across the sky."

Vader's eyes widened, and he stood up, practically flying out of the window. "That's a spacecraft entering Remnant's atmosphere! Follow me, girls! We need to reach it before anyone from this planet does!"

The twins and Neo followed Vader in confusion, confused by the sudden and rather extreme urgency in his movements. Within no time at all they were at the airfields, with the twins barely hanging on and panting. Neo looked at them oddly, before realizing that Vader and herself had been utilizing the Force to push their bodies faster and farther. She frowned and reached out with the Force, brushing lightly against her master's mind. He paused, turning around to ask why she had done that. Then he saw the twins struggling fiercely to keep up. He shook his head, "Oh, stang it all... Miltiades and Melanie, go find professor Ozpin and alert him to this new occurrence. You won't be able to keep up with us, and if it's a Jedi..."

He let the statement trail off, giving them a clear indication of where they stood in terms of fighting strength. They had barely managed to land a blow on Vader the first time, and that was just because they caught the mildly bewildered and lost Sith Lord by surprise. They nodded quickly, and beat a path back to the school. Vader turned back to the nearest VTOL, inspecting it carefully.

Neo coughed, "Can you... fly... Master?"

Vader nodded curtly, "Yes, I can. Deal with the guards, apprentice. I will start it up so we can be on our way... Put your saber on stun. Usually, I would care nothing for anyone who gets in my way, but we are unfortunately guests of Professor Ozpin... So we must have some civil consideration. Go, deal with the guards."

Neo nodded quickly, darting away to do her master's bidding. When she came across the first set of guards, however, she stopped short. There was something… not right. She could feel it. The guards… they weren't alive. She stared at the armour clad figures for several long seconds, trying to comprehend what she was seeing, then she realized… They were Atlasian robots! She remember seeing them on a documentary when she was still in the orphanage. But that didn't make any sense! Why were Atlasian Knights guarding a Beacon Academy VTOL? Then she saw the torch in the circle, and her blood ran cold. She hurriedly pulled out her scroll and snapped a picture, sending it to Vader with the caption, "This belongs to General Ironwood of Atlas! We can't steal his VTOL!"

Vader looked down at the sparking scrap heap that was once the internal defenses of this VTOL, scoffing slightly. Even the CIS droids had put up a better fight, and those things had been complete idiots! He shook his head, stepping around the now destroyed androids and heading towards the cockpit. When his personal DataScroll buzzed, he raised an eyebrow and pulled it out. The Sith Lord read the message with a shrug, sending a small ping to Neo with the Force to let her know he had received the message. It changed nothing. If anything, this was good, because now he knew that this VTOL would most certainly get the job done. He stepped into the cockpit, lazily throwing the guard within against the wall and knocking him unconscious. It would be so much easier if he could just kill the guards and be done with it, but no… that was not an option anymore. Restraint was key now. In order to survive this world, he had to act more like a Jedi than a Sith.

Neo swallowed nervously when she only felt the ping in her mind. Vader was dead set on getting this VTOL. Well… she had her orders. With a sigh, she drew her saber and crept behind the nearest guard, reaching out with the Force…

Five Minutes Later

Neo trudged into the cockpit, speckled with oil and looking rather annoyed. Vader barely glanced at her as he inspected the controls laid out before him, "I hope the headmaster doesn't mind if we busted a few droids. Strap in, this might be a bumpy ride."

Neo frowned, a sudden ping in the Force telling her that she should be really, _really_ worried. She dropped into a chair, buckling herself in as tightly as possible. The ice cream themed Sith apprentice felt her stomach leap into her throat as the engines roared to life, immediately straining to lift itself off the ground with a sharp whine. She clutched to the straps with a terrified expression, turning her mind's eye to her master in an attempt to seek some sort of solace. What she found terrified her even more.

Darth Vader was _happy._

 _ **Ozpin's Office**_

"HE DID WHAT!?"

Miltiades flinched slightly as Professor Goodwitch's aura flared up in a purple maelstrom, sending several small objects flying away. Melanie scoffed, rolling her eyes, "He took off in a VTOL to go track down some spaceship about to crash on Remnant."

Glynda took off at a rapid pace towards Ozpin's office, gesturing for the girls to follow her, "Oum be damned, that man is nothing but trouble. Which VTOL did he take?"

Miltia cleared her throat, "He uh… took the one with the Atlas signet on the hull."

That response caused the deputy headmistress to freeze, "He took… General Ironwood's VTOL?"

The twins just looked at each other for a moment as Glynda took off at a dead sprint. Melanie smirked, "Well… I guess the cat's about to be let out of the bag…"

"Shut up. We need to see how this plays out and report it to Vader. Do you have your scroll?"

The twin just grinned and held up the device in question as Melanie was finishing her thought, "Already ahead of you, sister. Let's go do a bit of snooping."

Glynda took little notice of the two girl's following her, bursting into Ozpin's office without bothering to knock, "Ozpin, I- Oh… Hello, James. I didn't realized you were already here…"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, glancing at General Ironwood with an amused chuckle, "Ah… Glynda. What brings you here today? Our staff meeting isn't until tomorrow afternoon."

"Well,headmaster I…" Glynda cleared her throat, looking rather sheepish as she admitted. "Our _guest_ has commandeered one of the VTOL airships to intercept… another possible guest."

Whatever Ozpin was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. The esteemed headmaster choked on his tea, coughing and nearly dropping the mug. "Oh… ahem… that certainly is bad news."

General Ironwood frowned, looking between the two of them, "Guest? What guest is she talking about, Ozpin?"

Professor Ozpin sighed, rubbing his face, "Oum take him… James, I'm going to need you to promise me something…"

The general growled softly, crossing his arms, "Ozpin, what the hell is going on here? First you cover up a mass killing spree by saying it was a gang war, despite what eyewitness reports say. Then you go and hire a new staff member out of the blue, and don't give me any sort of information about them. Hell, you even have Tai-Yang sworn to secrecy against me! Explain yourself!"

"I'm sorry, James. But until you swear to me not to do anything rash, I can't tell you."

"FINE! START EXPLAINING YOURSELF!"

Ozpin winced, turning his chair to look up at the sky, which was quickly fading to night. "Tell me, James… What do you think is out there, beyond our planet?"

That brought James to a screeching halt mentally, "Beyond our… Ozpin, I don't need your sugarcoating right now. Just tell me what's going on."

Ozpin remained silent for almost a minute, gathering his thoughts. James was almost about to yell at him again, when the headmaster finally began. "You were right about the gang war being a cover up… It wasn't a gang that killed those men, nor was it a team of rogue huntsmen… It was one man."

Ironwood paused,letting that revelation sink in. One man, killing over a hundred people in less than twelve hours? What sort of monster was capable of that much carnage? He was snapped back to reality as Ozpin continued.

"The man who killed them came from the stars… From a Galactic Empire. But he didn't kill them out of cold blood… well, most of them anyways. He was doing it to protect a pair of twins and his apprentice. At the time though, the girl was just someone he had rescued from the gang, and the twins just happened to be in the way."

"Wait, back up… You said something about the stars and a Galactic Empire… Are you telling me, that you have been harbouring an _alien_ in this school, and allowing it to pose as your combatives instructor? ARE YOU INSANE!?"

Ozpin chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe madness of a different type is what this world needed. Either way, the man in question, for he is indeed human, is a high ranking military commander from his empire, and the second in command overall. He has taken asylum here… And from what I can tell by Glynda's panic, has also commandeered you VTOL in an attempt to either rescue or kill another alien about to crash land here on Remnant."

That might have been the wrong thing to say around the General. His eyes widened, and he quickly bolted out of the room. Ozpin sighed, "Well… I could have sworn he said he wouldn't do anything rash."

"Ozpin, an alien man from another star system just stole his personal VTOL… I think he's reacting like anyone else would." Glynda sighed, pulling out a cloth and cleaning her glasses. "The twins reported that Vader hijacked Ironwood's VTOL due to an alien "starship" crashing down nearby. It appears that we shall be receiving a new guest soon."

"Indeed."

Glynda stared at Ozpin, sitting in his chair, calmly sipping his tea. After a few seconds, she collapsed in a chair across his desk and sighed, "Oscar… What are we going to do? You know James isn't going to let Vader go without a fight."

Ozpin nodded,smirking ever so slightly, "Well, we just have to hope there's still enough of him left to send back to Atlas."

"You think Vader can actually take him on?"

Glynda… he could kill me without having to lift a finger. Plus, he has his apprentice to impress… James won't know what hit him."

 _ **You guy's know the drill. Leave some reviews! And kudos to anyone who knows the identity of our incoming alien! I didn't have any questions really concerning the last chapter, so no Q &A for this update!**_


	14. A Mask is Lifted

_**Alright, sorry if this seems a bit rushed. I checked the words and realized the chapter was a bit long, so I just wrapped it up. The next chapter will have a bit more filler to try and calm things down. Our characters will need to settle in after this particular shakeup…**_

 _ **Also, don't forget to visit my Patron page (add an E before the O) and leave a donation or something. Anything helps! Just type in the URL as normal, and then add /Writing_Soldier . I know this seems a bit cryptic, but Fanfiction won't let me even type the word . See?**_

Emerald Forest, 15 Km north of Beacon Academy Main Campus

Neo had seen a lot, felt a lot too, especially for someone her age. She had known fear and pain that would make a seasoned war veteran piss themselves. But the fear than ran through her veins at the moment was of a different sort.

 _Master, do you think you could slow down? I don't think General Ironwood's VTOL can take much more of this!_

She sent the message to her master telepathically, listening to the whine of the VTOL engines nervously as they strained to keep up with Vader's punishing pace. She felt a flicker of mild annoyance from her master's mind, but there was no change in his piloting methods as he flew in the direction of a large pillar of smoke.

"Apprentice, it does not matter if this aircraft fails. While it would be preferable to leave it intact, time is of the utmost priority right now." He slammed a hand on the pilot's console as a bright red light popped up, shutting it off from the impact. "It's not my fault that this planet's aircraft are millennia behind anything the Galaxy has."

What he didn't say, and what he was hiding from his apprentice, was that he knew who was in the downed craft. The Sith Lord silently urged the VTOL to go faster, praying to the Force that the pilot of the other vessel was still alive, and hopefully unconscious. He quickly began running the VTOL through it's landing sequence as they approached the newly formed pillar of smoke, using a combination of instinct and Force Guidance to make the alien craft work smoothly. As he peered out of the VTOL's cockpit window, his blood ran cold. An old Republic T-6 shuttle had just crash landed on the surface of Remnant… relatively intact and with the cockpit window cut through with what could have only been a lightsaber. He stood up from the pilot's seat, summoning his saber hilt. "Draw your saber, apprentice… We have a Force user to deal with. I will deal with her myself, but I want you to be ready in case something happens."

Neo's eyes widened, and she hurried to obey his order. He didn't sound worried, but she could _feel_ the tension in the air as they disembarked. Vader moved slowly, methodically, scanning the surrounding area through the visor of his helmet. His grip was tight on the hilt of his saber, and the Force practically rippled around him. Neo had never seen him like this, not even when he was killing Roman's men. What on Remnant was going-

Vader suddenly whipped around, throwing Neo to the side with one hand while the other blocked a bright flare of white light. A JEDI!? Master Vader had said that the Jedi order had been eradicated! Neo tumbled to the ground with a gasp of surprise and pain, unable to draw on the Force fast enough to right herself. She looked up in time to see that the Jedi that had attacked Lord Vader wasn't human… and they were using two lightsabers instead of one. Vader roared in pain as the Jedi's second saber flared to life with another white flash, delivering a deep, but glancing blow to his unguarded shoulder. He had just sacrificed himself to protect her? But that didn't seem like a very Sith thing to do…

The Sith Lord growled, pushing the Jedi back with a flex of his will, "Ahsoka Tano… I see you survived our… duel. And yet I do not see the boy with you."

The orange skinned Jedi stood up, glaring at Vader, "Ezra is far away from you, Master."

Neo blinked in confusion, not understanding what this 'Tano' said. Master? Vader was Neo's master though… Then she felt Vader's anger…

"Anakin Skywalker is dead, my old padawan. And you would do well to remember that. Surrender your lightsabers, and turn yourself over to me… and I _may_ show you mercy. The emperor's offer still stands."

The alien laughed with a bitterly cold tone, "Mercy? Like the mercy you showed me at the temple? I will _never_ join you!" She darted forward in an orange blur, and thus began the first real lightsaber duel Neo had ever experienced.

It was both the most amazing and downright terrifying thing she had ever seen. The Jedi was practically a blur, raining down blows from every direction and performing acrobatic flips that made Neo feel jealous. But Vader… Her master was something else. His movements almost seemed… casual. He pressed his attack with a methodical, yet absolutely brutal efficiency, only using a single hand to block every single blow. He didn't even have to turn around. It was like he could predict the Jedi's every move before she even thought of it! A dull roar suddenly grabbed her attention, and she looked up to see a dozen Atlasian drop ships hovering overhead. With the battle taking place, she hadn't noticed them until they were right on top of them. She sent a slight ping of distress to her master, nervously hoping it didn't result in something going wrong. But she didn't need to worry. Both Force users had looked up at the same time to see the VTOLs. They sprang apart, taking a momentary pause to assess the situation. A sigh of annoyance came from the alien girl, "Why is it always droids?"

Vader merely nodded, thinking quickly. "Apprentice, prepare yourself. I can sense… anger. I believe the General of Atlas has discovered my secret, and sees me as something to be captured. We will show him what the Sith do to those who wish us harm. But do not attack unless you are attacked first."

"Lord Darth Vader of… The Galactic Empire. You are to lay your weapon down, along with your associate, and submit to capture by the order of myself, General James Ironwood of Atlas. You have ten seconds to comply."

Vader raised an eyebrow in amusement, listening to the voice booming from the VTOLs' speaker systems, "On second thought, apprentice, your assistance will not be needed. He thinks he can capture me by force, thus implying an act of war from both Vale, as I have claimed asylum with Ozpin, and The Galactic Empire, as I have claimed diplomatic immunity."

Ahsoka looked at the massive man sharply, noticing that he hadn't stowed his saber away. "You aren't seriously thinking of fighting them, are you? That's a small army-"

"Of _droids._ Some of the most basic enemies in the galaxy, and these are millennia behind anything the Trade Federation made. So, yes… we are going to fight them."

Ahsoka looked like she wanted to protest, but then the first set of droids hit the ground, their arms turning into an assortment of blades and Gatling guns. She sighed in annoyance, "Why is it that you can never do politics peacefully?"

"Because that would be boring, and we would get nowhere… I will take the left side."

The Jedi scowled as Vader threw his lightsaber at the nearest group of "clankers," following directly after it. On the inside, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. That almost sounded like the Skyguy she remembered.

TWO MINUTES LATER

Vader and Ahsoka stood in the middle of a large pile of scrapped, sparking metal, not looking even mildly out of breath. Vader looked up at the remaining VTOL, this one being a smaller, passenger VTOL, and boomed out, "General come down here, before I drag you down by force." As if to emphasise the threat, he reached up and tugged on the entire craft lightly. A few seconds later, the VTOL had descended, and General Ironwood stepped out, looking downright murderous with his handcannon ready to put a hole in Vader's head. Vader was having none of it though, as he yanked the weapon away with a sharp gesture and then pinned the man to the side of his VTOL.

"General James Ironwood of Remnant, you have committed a grave error. In your belief of superiority over Ozpin, you failed to recognize the fact that attacking me could be seen as an act of war from two parties. Headmaster Ozpin is giving me political asylum, meaning you have violated that asylum. However, as I am outside of the Beacon Academy campuses and lands, that one can be overlooked. However, I am still the second in command of the Galactic Empire and High Commander of the Imperial Fleet. To attack me in any setting is to forfeit your life."

The Sith Lord paused, letting his words sink in. The only sound was that of sparking robot parts and the crackling of flames from Ahsoka's wreck. When he spoke again, James was beginning to realize that he was somehow getting let off the hook. "Be that as it may… I do not feel that it is within my authority to execute you, as our respective states are not at war. So, I will spare you. Inform Headmaster Ozpin that I will return momentarily. We will be bringing another… _guest._ " He let the man go, dropping him without a second glance as he turned and walked over to Ahsoka's craft, inspecting it. He immediately scrambled back into his VTOL, ordering the pilot to take off.

Ahsoka watched the primitive craft take off, before turning to face Vader, "Your guest? Why not go ahead and just say prisoner? I know that's what you mean. Or do you plan on killing me yourself? Isn't that what the Sith do? Kill Jedi?"

Vader didn't answer immediately, staring at the flames from the downed craft. "Ahsoka… Why are you here?"

The orange skinned alien frowned, going silent. Vader had to turn to stare at her before she finally answered, "The Emperor said you were dead."

Vader froze. The Emperor thought he was dead? "You lie… My master and I are intrinsically linked through the Force. He knows that I am still alive, an-"

"I know about the Master-Student Force Bond, Anakin," Ahsoka snapped, pulling a small, plastic device from her cloak and holding it out. "It's the same reason I knew you were alive despite the fact that the Rebellion found this being broadcast across the Imperial News System. He's declared you dead and now an Admiral named Gallius Rax has taken your place as Second-in-Command. Also, we intercepted a transmission to Grand Admiral Thrawn, telling him to go into the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy and hunt you down."

Vader's eyes narrowed in his helmet as he gingerly accepted the datastick, "What are you saying, Tano?"

Ahsoka crossed her arms, a deadly serious expression on her face, "Officially, you're dead to the Empire. Unofficially, you've been branded a traitor and Thrawn has been given the order to obliterate you on sight."

Vader inspected the datastick in his hands, the only sound being the burning of droid and ship parts, and his own mechanical wheeze. His master... had discarded him like a piece of trash. Yes, he knew it was inevitable. After all, Darth Sidious would be considered evil and traitorous, even by the standards of the Sith Order, old and new. But still... betrayal hurt. Vader considered himself a mostly honorable man. He remained true to his own word, unless his... no... unless Sidious demanded otherwise. TO be betrayed on that level, it wounded his very core. He reached out with trembling hands, turning the datastick over to Neo. "Apprentice, keep this safe... Stay here with Tano and contact Ozpin. Inform him of the situation."

Neo nodded, rasping out quietly, "Are you okay, Master?"

Vader nodded slowly, "I... will be fine. For now though, I think it would be safer if I am alone for a few minutes... Better make that a few hours." Vader's fist tightened as he felt a faint hint of smug satisfaction coming from his former master. With an air of unnerving, quiet rage, the massive Sith Lord vanished into the forest, intent on throwing his wrath upon somthing that was more deserving of it.

Neo watched Vader as he left, almost feeling sorry for the poor grimm that dared cross his path... almost.

"So... Anakin has an apprentice?"

Neo jumped in surprise, and glared at the Jedi standing next to her. Ahsoka laughed, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, kid. The name's Ahsoka. I used to be Anakin's padawan, back when we were part of the Jedi Order." She hastily backtracked when she saw Neo reach for her saber, shaking her head. "No, I'm not a Jedi. I left the Order when they falsely accused me of murder. Anakin was the only one to see my innocence."

"Who's... Anakin?"

Ahsoka blinked owlishly, partly because of the question, and partly because of the harsh, broken rasp that came from the small human girl. "Oh... um... Well... Anakin is the one you know as Darth Vader. It's... a long story. And I'm not the one to tell it. Didn't your er... master tell you to do something?"

Neo gave a quick start, and fumbled for her scroll. Ahsoka almost burst out laughing at the red blush that appeared on the apprentice's cheeks from embarrassment. She waited for the girl to finish sending her message before asking, "How did you meet An... Vader?"

Neo frowned, a pained expression filling her eyes as she remembered what little she could of that fateful night. "Master... saved me. I..." She pressed a hand to her throat, before closing her eyes in concentration. Ahsoka was stunned and amazed when she heard a soft, childish voice speak up in her head.

 _I was being tortured. A man and a woman called it reconditioning, but the were just trying to break me. Master Vader appeared in my cell, and rescued me. Then he made me his apprentice._

Ahsoka pressed a hand to her head, her eyes wide in amazement, "You... You're pretty good at that. How are you getting through my defenses?"

Neo shook her head, _I'm not. Master Vader taught me how to communicate with thought, but then I figured out how to do it by just skimming the mind. I think it works better with Force Sensitives, seeing as it's easier to do it with Master and apparently you. But I can communicate with anyone given enough time._

Ahsoka found herself nodding, "Wow, that's a nifty trick. So, what has Vader been teaching you?"

Neo suddenly became much more guarded, her eyes narrowing as she considered her answer carefully. _Master Vader... wouldn't like me to speak about my training to a great many different people. A Jedi is definitely at the top of that list. I-_

 _You can speak of your training to Ahsoka, Politan. I feel that she can be trusted. In any event, she will be assisting me with your training._

Now it was Neo's turn to look stunned, if a bit scared, as Darth Vader's oddly less synthesized and humanlike telepathic voice boomed in her mind. She swallowed hastily and nodded. _Master Vader has taught me the basics of Form II Makashi, as well as Form V, Djem So. However, he prefers that I train in Form II due to my physical weakness. As for Force Training... Master Vader tends to let me experiment on my own, unless it comes to meditation time._

Ahsoka giggled at this, hastily covering her mouth, "Skyguy, meditating? Wow, I never thought I would hear the day he would do that willingly, much less as a Sith." When she saw the confused expression on her face, she actually laughed. "Let me guess, you can only ever see Vader as a cold, pillar of immovable darkness. Structure and discipline every day, and no room for mistakes?"

When Neo gave a meek little nod, she laughed again, "Oh stang, remind me later on to tell you a few stories. Anakin Skywalker was a rebel through and through. The way he's acting right now reminds me of the old Jedi Masters... He hated them, despite wanting to be them. Skyguy thought they were stuffy old coots full of Bantha poodoo. Seeing him like this... it's both terrifying and hilarious."

Neo crossed her arms and huffed, about to give Ahsoka a piece of her mind. Before she could respond though, a Beacon Academy VTOL roared overhead, circling around th crash site. After a few seconds, it touched down, dropping off Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch, along with the Malachite Twins. Neo smiled happily, and bolted to their side, tackling her friends in a relieved hug.

Melanie raised an eyebrow, "Yeesh... What happened here?"

Miltia punched her sister in the shoulder, rolling her eyes, "Shut it. Maybe we should let Neo exp... Mel... There's an alien here."

"Well, I guess you could call Vader that, but-"

"No, I mean there is a red skinned woman staring at us..."

Startled by the shaky tone in her usually unflappable sister's voice, she turned to see what had caught the red themed girl's attention. "Oh..."

Ozpin shot a pointed look at the twins, telling them to be quiet. Then he smiled curiously at Ahsoka and bowed slightly, "Welcome to Remnant, miss. My name is Oscar Ozpin, and I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy. I assume since Darth Vader has left you with your head firmly attatched to your shoulders, that you will be staying with us?"

Ahsoka laughed softly, smiling at Ozpin, "Yes, I believe that is the case. I'm Ahsoka Tano. Ana... Vader decided to blow off some steam in the forest."

"Ah... Oh dear. Glynda, remind me to restock the Beowolf population sometime soon. I doubt Vader leaves too many survivors." Ozpin cleared his throat, taking a sip from his ever present mug before continuing. "Well, Miss Tano, it is a pleasure to meet you. Might I ask what you are exactly? You certainly aren't a human, but you aren't a faunus either..."

Ashoka nodded, "My species is known as the Togruta. There aren't many of us in th Unknown Regions of the Galaxy."

Ozpin's eyes suddenly lit up, and he murmured something to Glynda. The blond woman nodded and stepped forward while Ozpin moved to inspect the crashed T-6 shuttle. "Miss Tano, how much information about the galaxy at large are you carrying? According to Darth, this planet is classified as Pre-Galactic. To be fair, we don't even have space travel yet..."

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow in surprise. A pre-galactic world? That would explain why Vader had been unable to contact the Empire. "I beleive I can answer most of your questions. What do you want to know?"

Glynda opened her mouth to ask a question, before glancing at Ozpin. Once she was sure he was occupied, she pursed her lips and asked quietly, "I need to know if you have a functioning Hyperspace Relay device that can contact the Rebel Alliance."

Whatever Ahsoka had been expecting, it wasn't that. She stared at the human in front of her, before nodding slowly, "Yes... I believe that most of my ship is intact. The hyperdrive is shot, and the sublight systems are severly damaged, but I think the comm system is still operational. Why do you wish to contact the Rebel Alliance?"

"Darth is going to contact the Empire as soon as he has the chance to do so. I do not want my planet to be subjugated under some tyranical dictatorship, and I believe that your Rebel Alliance can help us."

Ahsoka frowned, thinking carefully... "Come with me. Bring Ozpin with you."

Glynda nodded quickly, relaying a quick order to the girls to stand guard and watch for the recovery team to arrive, before grabbing Ozpin, "Miss Tano says she can get a message out to the Rebel Alliance."

Ozpin remained silent for several long seconds, considering the information. Eventually, he nodded, and gestured for Ahsoka to lead the way, "I suppose it would be wise to at least contact the Alliance. The Executor is on its way as we speak."

Ahsoka nodded, slipping into the T-6 shuttle through the cockpit. Glynda and Ozpin followed, albeit with some reluctance. The inside of the ship was a mess. Wires and panels were flung in random directions, sparks flickered dangerously in various areas. Ahsoka ignored all of this, and sat down at the cockpit, fiddling with some of the controls. After a few moments, a hum permeated the air. The former Jedi padawan picked up a rather ancient looking headset, and began speaking into it. "This is Ahsoka Tano, codename Ashla, passcode New Hope. Two-Niner-Delta-Fox."

There was a small burst of static as she finished speaking, before a rapid stacatto of beeps and whistles sounded off. Ahsoka rolled her eyes, shaking her head in annoyance.

"R2, get Mon Mothma. I have an important message and request. I have located Darth Vader. I repeat, Darth Vader is alive."

THere was a surprised, if somehow terrified screech that faded away. Ahsoka spun the pilot's seat around, waving a hand to press a series of buttons with the Force. She raised an eye in slight surprise when they didn't even bat an eye at the action. Maybe seeing Anakin using the Force had desensitized them? She gave a mental shrug and dismissed it as Mon Mothma appeared in a flickering blue image in the center of the wrecked ship.

"Ahsoka? What's this I hear about Darth Vader? You found him? Are you okay? What happened?"

Ahsoka winced, shaking her head in a mixture of annoyance and amusement, "General, calm down. I'm fine, just a bit shaken up from the crash. Vader and I are stranded in the Maelstrom's Domain. But I'm not the one who wanted to speak to you. General Mon Mothma of the Rebel Alliance, let me introduce you to Headmaster Oscar Ozpin of Remnant."

She gestured for Ozpin to step forward, and Ozpin nodded. He inspected the hologram with a bit of amusement and interest. "Strange... we have a similar technology, though considerably less far reaching. Thank you for seeing us, General. While I may not be the highest ranking person of this planet, I do hold a considerable investment in the future of its people. We here on Remnant already face a rather formidable threat, but it would be nothing compared to what we have heard of the Galactic Empire. Lord Vader has already explained to us that, as a Pre-Galactic civilization, we would stand no chance against the considerable might of his master nd-"

"Former master." Ahsoka interrupted the headmaster mid-speech, shaking her head. "Darth Sideous has abandoned Vader and declared him traitor. That's the reason he's currently on a rampage through your forest."

Mon Mothma raised an eyebrow at the statement, along with Ozpin. The general waited a moment to speak again, and when she did it was much more hesitant, "Does this mean that Darth Vader is no longer part of the Empire?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened in understanding, and she muttered a quick curse in huttese before nodding, "I think so. At least, he wants the Emperor dead as much as us."

Mothma nodded pensively, before turning to Ozpin, "I am assuming you are asking the Rebellion for assistance with repelling the Empire?"

"Yes. Remnant is already struggling to survive its own war. We cannot hope to sustain ourselves in an intergalactic war." Ozpin frowned, looking down at his now empty mug, before sighing and gesturing to Ahsoka. "Miss Tano here is the second recorded alien contact in Remnant's history. Vader was the first. We do not have any defenses in space, and every defense we have on the surface is dedicated to fighting a greater threat. We cannot survive an attack from this-"

Ozpin was interrupted by a shout outside of the hologram's viewfinder. Mon Mothma's eyes widened, and she twisted around to look at whoever the unknown intruder was, "What do you mean Scarif has been attacked!?" She listened to the garbled response, before turning to Ahsoka with a terrified, yet excited face. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka, but I need to cut this short. The Imperial Base on Scarif has just been attacked by one of our ships in an attempt to gain access to Imperial Plans... Now, usually, I would say not to reveal any of this to Vader, but under the circumstances... I believe it would be wise to ask him what he knows of a superweapon known as The Death Star. Keep in contact, Tano. Mothma out."

Ashoka sat back with a stunned expression as the flickering blue image of the Rebel leader vanished, leaving an equally shocked silence hanging in the crashed T-6 Shuttle. Ozpin and Glynda stared at her expectantly, waiting for some sort of reaction. Eventually, Ozpin cleared his throat, "Miss Tano, what exactly just happened?"

Ahsoka slowly turned to face the headmaster, fear evident in her eyes, "That, Mr. Ozpin... was the beginning of a true civil war... No more hiding... No more running... The Rebel Alliance has just engaged in active warfare against the Galactic Empire... And you have not just one Imperial Ship, but a whole fleet on the way to this planet..."

Glynda and Ozpin went pale, and the latter opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted as Ahsoka jumped to her feet and turned to the cockpit window to see Vader himself looming outside. They could see the trees creaking behind him, but there was no wind... A darkness, more volatile than any grimm they had ever encountered, wrapped around the massive man. He reached out with a gloved hand and made a clawed gesture. The windshield shattered outward, saving the three of them from getting peppered by glass. Ozpin and Glynda were not so fortunate afterwards... They cried out in surprise as the two of them were suddenly and forcefully dragged out of the cockpit, clutching at their throats. Vader suspended them a few feet off the ground, igniting his saber with an ominous snap-hiss. "Headmaster Ozpin... Deputy-Headmistress Goodwitch... Did I not warn you about betraying me? Of what would happen if I ever found that you conspired against myself and my apprentice? ANSWER ME!"

Glynda raised her hand, attempting to use her semblance to throw the cybernetic man. She cried out in pain as her hand was suddenly crushed in an invisible grip, courtesy of an extremely pissed off Vader. Ozpin realized they had severely screwed up and quickly pleaded, "Lord Vader, wait! We did not contact the Rebel Alliance with the hopes of disposing of you, but to seek assistance when the Empire arrived to subugate the planet! I beleive they want to work with you to stop the Empire!"

Vader paused at these words, not letting up on his grip though. He slowly turned to see Ahsoka slowly stepping out of the ship. Her hands hovered over her sabers as she watched Vader warily, "Anakin, I know you think they were conspiring against you, but that is not what happened. They wanted me to contact the Rebellion, something I was going to to anyways to inform them of your... situation. But before they could get an answer out... the Imperial Base on Scarif was attacked."

Now that brought Vader to a complete halt. Glynda and Ozpin dropped to the ground, gasping for air. They scrambled out of the way as Vader marched towards Ahsoka, passing them by without a second glance. He considered her for a moment, the darkness of his presence probing her light. "What do you mean, Scarif has been attacked?"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, recognizing the tone that Anakin always gave when he knew something, despite the synthesized baritone of his voice synthisizer, "The Rebel Alliance just attacked an Imperial Base on Scarif. Mon Mothma mentioned that you would know something about it, and a superweapon called the Death Star... But now isn't the time to speak about this. Right now, we need to get that woman to a hospital. You crushed her hand."

"She was going to attack me."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, gesturing to the shaken and pale Glynda, "That woman is unarmed!"

"That woman has a telekinetic ability similar to the Force that can be used to generate elemental attacks." Vader stared down his former apprentice, before shaking his head with an unheard sigh and grunting out a blunt: "I'm not apologizing. They knew what it meant to even appear to go against myself or my apprentice. Speaking of which..."

He turned to see Neo approach him, holding out the data stick silently. He nodded a quiet thanks, plucking it out of her hands with the Force, "Thank you for informing me of this possible transgression of Ozpin's agreement."

Neo swallowed nervously, feeling bile rise up in her throat as she stared at the injured Glynda out the corner of her eye. Was... was this what her master was really like? It reminded her of... of Roman and Cinder... She didn't like it. Luckily for her, Vader wasn't paying close attention to his apprentice, and was more concerned with the data stick. Almost reluctantly, he pulled out a scroll out of his cloak, pressing a single button. The ring tone played for a moment, before the voice of Raven Brawnwen spoke up.

"What do you want Vader?"

"Raven, gather your Clan... We need to prepare for the arrival of my ship... and the invasion of the Empire."

 _ **Looks like things are coming to a head for Vader and his merry band of Remnant Natives. Now, I hope you lot don't think I'm moving to fast right now. The war isn't just going to start within the next few chapters. First, we need the Executor to arrive, followed by Thrawn's fleet, and then the Rebels, and finally the Empire will "Strike Back." There will, of course, be plotting, treachery, etc., but I don't want to ruin everything. You'll just have to wait and see what happens.**_


	15. SSD Executor

_**Welcome, one and all to this new addition to this new chapter. Before I begin, I wanted to have a little talk.**_

 _ **Darth Vader. I noticed that a lot of you appear to be rather… unsatisfied with his behavior. You seem to expect a brutal warlord who wouldn't hesitate to kill anything and everything in his path. I wanted to tell all of you to think carefully about who Darth Vader really is. Yes, he is a Sith Lord, but being a Sith Lord isn't all about death and destruction. Darth Vader is apprentice to Darth Sidious, one of the most subtle and manipulating Dark Lord of the Sith in galactic history. His own master considered him to be evil incarnate. A corrupt,**_ **insidious** _**evil. Vader would be trained in politics, espionage, and maintaining a level head. Vader may be powerful, but he isn't about to take on an entire planet of superpowered natives that could potentially keep up with his force abilities. It's the same reason he didn't outright attack Obi-Wan Kenobi after meeting him on the Death Star. He was being cautious, biding his time until he knew what the real danger was. Now he knows, and now he has his target. NOw, enjoy the show. This one is a bit short, but it's good.**_

"He did what?!"

 _Master Vader got mad and broke Professor Goodwitch's hand._

The twins stared at Neo, twin looks of abject horror on their faces. After Ahsoka and the professors had vanished into the T-6 Shuttle, the twins ran back into the VTOL, confused and more than a little scared. Because of that, they only knew that some strange mass of fear and darkness had enveloped the area after a bit. Now, with Vader flying back in Ironwood's commandeered VTOL on his own, Neo was with the twins and could tell them what had happened. Melanie whistled and shook her head, "I knew the old man had a temper, but that's just scary. What happened to Professor Goodwitch's Aura?"

 _That's just it… With the Force, aura doesn't mean anything. Sure, if I threw something at you, your aura would defend you. But telekinesis, well…_ Neo held out her hand, picking her red themed friend up with only a little effort.

Melanie went paler than usual, tensing up immediately, "Okay, I think I get it. C-Can you put me down now?"

Miltia scoffed at her sister's reaction, but decided not to say anything about it, "So, what are you saying? Vader has a temper. We already know that. We also know that Ozpin and Glynda already said they wouldn't betray him. I bet with Ironwood showing up, and them contacting someone he had sworn to hunt down and kill probably had him a little on edge."

 _Yes… but what if he hurt us? I mean, he already puts us through hell with training… It wouldn't be that much of a leap to think he would do something to us in a rage._

Melanie nodded in agreement, "Yeah… But what can we do? We're aura users, and you're just an apprentice. He's too strong for us."

"Hey, what are you girls going on about?"

All three girls jumped as Ahsoka practically teleported next to them with how quiet she was. The alien laughed, shaking her head. "Yeesh, you look like you've seen a ghost. I already told you, I'm not going to hurt you."

Neo looked at her suspiciously, remaining silent both verbally and mentally. Miltia, on the other hand, had no reservations, "You knew Vader, right? What can you tell us?"

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, "I never said I knew Vader. I knew Anakin Skywalker, the man Vader used to be… The one I know he still is. Anakin was nothing like this despicable creature. He was kind, caring, passionate… And loyal to a fault. I don't know what kind of creature Vader is, but… I've heard rumors."

Melanie perked up slightly at the mention of rumors. She knew rumors pretty well, and could suss out fact from fiction, "What sort of rumors?"

The Togruta grimaced, suddenly feeling like she was making a mistake, "I can't tell you that. It isn't my place… Just know that Vader is a Sith Lord. I'm not saying the Jedi were all that, but Sith Lords are known for being cruel, cunning, and violent to friend and foe alike. Be careful around him. And… be sure not to make him angry."

Ozpin cleared his throat, stepping out of the VTOL's medbay looking rather pale and shaken, "Glynda… Glynda is going to be okay, but she won't be able to teach for a while. The medic says every bone in her hand is crushed. With a few months of therapy and auric healing sessions, her hand will be perfectly back to normal."

Ahsoka grimaced,"I'm very sorry, Mr. Ozpin. I should have thought about Neo being able to contact Anakin without saying anything. Siths may be a conniving sort, but Ana… Vader has always been honor bound, and it seems his apprentice has the same sense of duty."

Neo swallowed nervously, looking down at her feet. _I'm sorry, Headmaster. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just didn't want my master to be hurt._

Ozpin stared at her for a moment, before sighing softly, "I don't blame you, Miss Politan. Vader was the first person to show you any sort of kindness. I would likely do the same thing if I had been in your position."

Miltia frowned slightly, pulling Neo closer to her, "Headmaster… If you're thinking about removing Vader and Neo, you'll have another thing coming."

The look of shock on Ozpin's face was only matched by the surprise on Neo's. He cleared his throat, shaking his head quickly, "No, Miss Malachite. That will not be necessary. I just need to make a few arrangements for classes in the future. My biggest problem at the moment is finding a substitute combatives professor…"

Ahsoka cleared her throat, her orange skin darkening slightly, "Er… Mr. Ozpin, if you need assistance, I would be glad to provide assistance in any way I can."

Ozpin smiled gratefully, "Thank you for the offer, Miss Tano, if you would accompany me with Glynda we can discuss that in my office. For now, though I-" He suddenly stopped as his scroll began screeching with the universal sound of an Emergency Broadcast System. He whipped out his phone, his eyes narrowing. "Miss Politan, contact your master. His ship has arrived ahead of schedule."

BEACON ACADEMY  
1500 hrs

Vader looked up at the sky, a cruel smile on his face as he stared at the striking arrowhead silhouette hovering in the clouds. His men had managed to fix the hyperdrive for a short jump using the spare parts from some of the Viper probes. They hadn't made contact yet, presumably due to some technical issue… or maybe they used some parts from the communications array to fix the jump drive… That sounded like something he would do. Maybe he would have to give the commander of the ship a promotion. A motion behind him finally caused the Dark Lord to stir from his musings, "Apprentice… What is it you need?"

 _Master Vader, I wished to speak to you about… what happened earlier._

Vader turned around, staring intently at the diminutive girl, "What about it?"

 _I… You…_

Vader took a step closer to his apprentice, mildly surprised when she flinched away from him, even if it was barely perceptible, "You are afraid of me… No, not of me. Of what I might do. Interesting… Kneel."

Neo dropped to one knee, her eyes wide with fear. Her heart was racing so fast, she felt it might burst!

"Your saber, give it to me."

Neo smoothly did as she was asked, unclipping it from her hip and presenting it to him. Her eyes remained glued to the floor.

"Apprentice… Neo, Look at me."

Neo hesitantly looked up at her master, her multicoloured eyes flickering to a pale white. He was peering at the saber with a curious air about him. With a snap hiss, the blue blade sprang to life, bringing about a lighter feeling to relieve the tension and providing some clarity to the terrified Sith apprentice. Not enough to stop her from being straight up terrified, but certainly enough to stop her from trembling like the last leaf in the fall.

Vader sighed, "I took this Saber from a Jedi Knight on the planet of Kashyyyk after I killed him, and two other Jedi… However, I kept it with me for some odd reason. I always told myself that it was as a potential spare lightsaber if mine was ever destroyed, but now I believe that it was destined to find you." He suddenly lowered the blade until the tip was barely half an inch from Neo's face. Thanks to the calming effect of the Jedi blade and Neo's training, she managed to stare her potential death down unflinchingly. Vader nodded, sheathing the blade and handing it over to her again. "You are my Apprentice, Neo. And I am your master. One day, it will be your job… no, your destiny, to take my place as master of your own apprentice. As such, while I may seem harsh and cruel to you, I will never _hurt_ you. Stand up."

Neo nodded slowly, looking at her master guiltily. _I'm sorry master. You just scared me…_

Vader nodded, turning back to his ship, "Yes, my apprentice. I tend to excel at that. Now, go and tell the twins to prepare themselves. We must reclaim my ship."

Neo nodded, hurriedly leaving her master's quarters. Vader stared at the ship for a short time longer, before marching out of the room and heading to the grounds. At the same time, he pressed a switch on his panel, reactivating his short range communicator built into the suit. "This is Lord Darth Vader, contacting the SSD Executor, respond."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then: "Lord Vader, this is Acting-Comander Captain Piett. It's nice to hear your voice again. Admiral Ozzel is currently residing in the Medbay due to a heavy concussion. Lord Vader, are you okay?"

Vader smiled cruelly again, malevolence radiating off of him, "Tell Admiral Ozzel to get his dress uniform on and prepare to see me… And congratulations on your promotion, Admiral Piett. You have performed admirably. On that note, I want all men to report to Landing Bay 8A… and send a shuttle down. This planet's aircraft are horrible, and I don't have my tool set to fix that."

"Understood, Lord Vader. Will you be bringing anyone with you?"

"Yes, several people. Vader out." The Dark Lord closed the communication line with a final click, his cloak billowing out as he marched through the corridors. As he did so, the PA system to the school suddenly crackled to life, and the voice of Ozpin began speaking, "Students and staff of Beacon Academy. Some of you may be wondering what is happening. There is no need to be alarmed, you are in no immediate danger. However, on the note of the large aircraft hovering overhead, all classes have been canceled for today, and potentially tomorrow. Stand by for more information concerning the schedule."

Vader stopped at the exit to the grounds, meeting with his apprentice and two charges. Neo looked sombre as ever, wearing her apprentice robes and looking the part of the dutiful Sith Apprentice. The twins were understandably terrified, though it seemed that Melanie was excited for this, more so than her louder sister, who was more subdued and cautious. In the background, Ozpin continued to speak.

"I know that many of you have had questions about the new Combatives professor, Lord Darth Vader. He is not from here, as many of you may have guess, but more than that he is not even from this planet. The aircraft above is his ship, and he has been stranded here. Lord Vader is a high ranking military officer from a Galactic Empire in the stars. Neo Politan, while she is from Atlas, is his apprentice… He is still to be treated with the same respect you would give to any of the faculty members of this school, but you all need to be focused on putting your best foot forward. Beacon Academy is representing the whole of Remnant right now, and we need to put on our best faces for the Empire. Any further questions can be answered by Lord Vader himself, or our newest guests. Continue monitoring the school comms for further information."

Vader remained silent for several long moments as the announcement cut off, before looking back down at Neo, "Apprentice… Twins… Prepare yourselves. You are going to be one of the first people on Remnant to board an alien spacecraft, at least an operational one. I want all of you to be on your best behaviour. I must put each of you into the ship's systems. Neo, as my apprentice, you will have higher access than most, but if I find that you have abused that privilage, your punishment will be swift and harsh. Do you understand?"

Neo nodded quickly, bowing ever so slightly. _Thank you for trusting me with this, Master._

Vader nodded, opening the front door with a simple wave of his hand, "Do not mistake this as trust, apprentice. As with everything, this is merely a test. Failure means punishment most severe."

A low, rumbling roar cut off whatever response the young girl had in mind. Vader looked up to see a welcome sight. A Lambda Class T-4A shuttle circled over the school for a shot time before landing in the central coutryard. Vader began a brisk march to the ship, not bothering to see if the girls were following him. They were, of course, though they struggled to keep up with his long strides. As they approached the ship, several men in white, plastic looking armour rushed out and lined up on either side of the rear ramp. They stood at attention as a final man in a grey uniform stepped out and saluted Vader. The Sith was brought up short, seeing how young the man was, "Admiral… You're younger than I expected."

Piett wince slightly, nodding, "There were some unforeseen side effects of the black hole upon the ship and the men. Myself, well… I apparently de-aged."

Vader frowned, thinking carefully, "Understood… I want a full report on the ship's condition as soon as possible." A slight ping in his mind reminded him of the new additions to his entourage. He turned slightly and gestured to the girls, "Admiral, these girls are under my direct guardianship. The one wearing the cloak is my apprentice, and is to be treated as someone with the same rank as myself, admiral. If she delivers and order, it should be treated as if I am there, is that understood?"

Piett nodded quickly, a confused look on his face, "Yes, Lord Vader. And the other two girls?"

Vader turned to the twins, contemplating his decision, "The twins are my proteges. They will have the same standing as a CPO. However, I will entrust them, and their training in the militant arts, with you. They are able combatants, but they do not know the art of war."

Admiral Piett cleared his throat, ignoring the looks of outlandish outrage on the twins' faces, "I uh… Yes, my lord. The men are waiting for you in the landing bay, are you ready to return to your ship?"

"Yes. Girls, get on board. Do as the troopers tell you, and you'll be safe. Stay close to Neo. Apprentice, if any of the men trie to stop you, you have my permission to defend yourself. If it's an officer… you can kill them."

Neo just nodded, allowing a stormtrooper to assist her and her friends onto the shuttle, followed closely by Vader and the rest of the troopers. Vader remained standing whilst his girls strapped in and held on for dear life as the shuttle roared to life, the engines straining momentarily before lifting off and moving calmly, towards the massive city in the sky. Vader smiled at their fear, but not as a sith would, "Relax children. You have nothing to fear. This is a Lambda Class T4-A Troop Transport Shuttle. While it may be a bit older than the Sentinel Class Lander, I find it to be just as, if not more reliable than it."

Neo nodded, but didn't relinquish her grip on the straps. _Master, are we going to space?_

Vader blinked in surprise, glancing at the other girls who looked just as terrified and curious as Neo, "Yes, we are indeed going to space. Contrary to what Mr. Ozpin is saying, that ship is not inside the atmosphere. Your planet is relatively small in terms of habitable, terrestrial worlds. The atmosphere is only about two… two hundred fifty kilometres thick? The Executor is in low planetary orbit, just at the edge of your atmosphere. The ship itself is a little over nineteen kilometres long, with over five thousand weapon emplacements; including turbolasers, ion cannons, and concussive missile batteries. As of the time it left the orbital construction ports, it is the largest ship in the imperial fleet. Or rather… it _was_ in the imperial fleet."

Admiral Piett looked up at Vader in shock, "Excuse me, my Lord, but what do you mean by that?"

Vader scowled behind his helmet, "The Emperor has decreed that I am a traitor to the Empire, and anyone under my command, along with myself, are to be obliterated on sight."

Piett blanched, "T-Traitors? How could they? I sent the distress call up only seconds before we jumped… Who did they send?"

Vader looked out through the cockpit at his ship fast approaching, "The Seventh Fleet, and the newly promoted Grand Admiral Thrawn. Palpatine told the public that he was to be sent out on what I assume to be an expedition, but he was also sent classified orders to hunt me down."

Piett clutched at his straps, looking a rather pale grey, "The Seventh Fleet… How are we going to fight them?"

Vader raised an eyebrow, "We? I assumed you would be loyal to the Empire."

Piett shook his head, "My Lord, I am loyal to the ship. You are in charge of this ship and its men, so I am loyal to you. I assume this is the reason you have ordered all of the men to be gathered in the landing bay?"

Vader nodded, "That is correct, admiral. I will need you to take the twins to the bridge. My apprentice will stay with me as I… brief the men." He turned to see his proteges and apprentice staring out the cockpit in awe as the sky quickly shifted from blue to black in the rather thin Remnant atmosphere. He chuckled softly, and spoke directly to them. "Melanie, Miltades, you will be going with Admiral Piett to the primary bridge. Neo, you will remain by my side. I need you to be ready to fight. Remember your training, and you will be fine."

He was glad to see all of them nod obediently. Knowing that they would be safe, he began thinking of what he would have to do to his men…

 _ **Well, there you have it. I know I promised a little more than the last chapter, but this was more of a interlude. Glynda is sidelined by Vader, Ahsoka is having to get settled in, and the lines are being drawn. Some of you may have noticed that Vader has not said anything about the Rebel Alliance. I'll let you in on a secret though. Vader hates the alliance. He thinks they're nothing but a bunch of terrorists. However, he's a little more tolerable and will be less likely to imprison the lot of them on sight. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to head over to my Pa TRE on page if you want to donate anything. Any little bit helps! /Writing_Soldier**_


	16. The New Alliance Army

_**Hello, once again, my faithful readers. Before we get started with the story, I wanted to explain a very excellent observation by one reviewer.**_

 _ **Sir Spangler, you stated that Vader would have to work through Glynda's aura in order to harm her. However, that is incorrect. At least in a physical sense. The Auric protection offered in RWBY is a**_ **projected** _ **barrier. As in external only, and it's really only effective against physical attacks. Heat, energy, etc. Things that do not provide a physical trigger, will not be impeded by auric shielding. Now, on to the nature of Aura. As we know it, Aura is a**_ **Physical** _ **projection of the soul. It is a literal barrier against physical harm that can come to the body. The very fact that telekinesis can bypass it means that Glynda's hand could be crushed with a single thought. Yes, that does mean that Glynda potentially has one of the most dangerous semblances on Remnant. However, it's difficult to concentrate upon something moving as rapidly and as small as a hand, particularly in a fight, so Aura users tend to just throw and manipulate inanimate objects.**_

 _ **For someone as experienced as Darth Vader, who can bring down star destroyers, react in time to stop bullets fired point blank at his face, and lift/choke entire armies, reaching out through the Force to crush a single hand is nothing. We've seen the ability used to choke victims from tens of thousands of lightyears away, and without any visual parametres. And since the Living and Cosmic Force isn't a physical, kinetic power, Vader doesn't have to "work through" anything. However, it would be possible to gather enough powerful Auric signatures to muddle his ability to**_ **lock onto a target.**

 _ **But enough from me. Time to get to the new installment.**_

Vader sighed, riding the turbolift up to the main bridge. His 'briefing' had lasted all of thirty minutes, and was mainly the officers versus Vader, Neo, Piett, and the 501st. At least 10 percent of his fighting force had been lost in the small skirmish, which really aggravated him to no end. As soon as he could, he would be changing the stormtrooper uniforms to something they could actually see out of. A small flicker of fear and anticipation made him smile and look down at his apprentice the best he could, "You did well today, Apprentice."

Neo looked up at him with a slightly startled expression. _Master?_

Vader sighed, looking back out as the turbolift passed through one of the smaller hanger bays. Several TIE Fighters were flying out of the bay, doing training exercises. Despite his minor massacre, the ship still moved like a single organism, "One of the best qualities of a leader is to work well under pressure. Despite having never been in a skirmish with ranged weapons, you composed yourself and fought with grace and power befitting of a Lady of the Sith. You showed restraint where restraint was needed, and power usage was liberal at the perfect moments. However, I would recommend that you work more on your sabre forms. Makashi is excellent for blade to blade, but with the Empire coming directly here, you will need more practice on deflecting blaster bolts and projectiles in general. You came dangerously close to being hit. Actually..." Vader frowned suddenly, returning his attention to the girl. "You _were_ hit. Several times in fact. How did you manage to avoid that?"

Neo blushed, looking at her feet in embarrassment. Suddenly, her image froze, and her force presence became fuzzy. Vader blinked owlishly, scrutinizing the strange image. He immediately noticed that the image wasn't moving. It wasn't even breathing. He stiffened as her force presence suddenly sharpened next to him, and he felt a tug on his cloak. She had somehow managed to teleport next to him, and he didn't feel her use any force. He reached out and brushed a hand gently across what he knew to be an illusion now, and was only a little surprised when it shattered like glass. Vader turned his finely trained force senses to Neo now, realizing that there was something... odd about her entire being now. Before, her presence felt... young, childike, and immature. But now, it had made a sharp transition to what could only be described as matured... fixed. A little bit fractured, but at the same time solid.

 _I found my semblance, Master…_

Vader nodded, a very unfamiliar sensation spreading through his chest. His eyes began to sting, and he suddenly straightened up, "That is… Good job, Neo. I… I am not an expert at Auric abilities, so I cannot assist with your training in that area. I will find tutor to provide that knowledge."

Neo looked up at him in confusion, a slightly concerned look in her now pinkish eyes. _Master, are you okay?_

Vader nodded, "Yes. Now straighten your back and lift your chin. We are about to step on the main bridge."

Neo had to hide a smile with an illusion as she did as she was told. Maybe it was his ship returning to him, maybe it was the months he had spent outside of the Empire's influence, but she could tell there was something different about the brutal man that had saved her from the clutches of Roman and Cinder… Her smile became cruel as she thought of encountering Roman again. The bastard would pay for his crimes. She had been doing a bit of research through the Beacon archives, and it turned out that Neo wasn't Roman's first target. Roman had been feeding his disgusting habit for _years_ before Neo was ever even a thought in his head. She was almost glad he had escaped, now that she thought about it… That meant she could hunt him down like the animal he was. She had to force herself not to let out a strange, soft giggle. It sounded slightly unhinged, but she didn't particularly care. And her master was to preoccupied with inspecting the ship as they passed to notice or care that with her soul being the way it was… she was fractured.

Before anything could happen though, the turbolift came to a halt. The doors slid open, and whatever Neo was thinking came to a grinding halt as she saw the dozens of men and troopers snapping to attention as their leader stepped back onto the bridge for the first time in nearly five standard months. Vader's smile was even wider than Neo's, but it was one of both excitement and contentment. He was finally back where he belonged. The Sith Lord then did something that surprised everyone, "Relax, gentlemen."

The men looked at each other in confusion. Just what had happened to Vader while he was on this backwater planet? Admiral Piett cleared his throat, stepping forward, "Lord Vader, you wanted a report on the ship? We are currently sitting at half battle capacity. 45% of our officers were lost when they betrayed you, and about 30% of our pilots are dead, along with about 5% of our ground forces. 100% of your 501st clones managed to survive by some miracle, but we are looking at a large loss of mechanized and armour infantry transports. Our TIE series fighters were able to take the brunt of the large amounts of electromagnetic radiation from the trip through the black hole, but we had to do emergency repairs on the landing craft that picked you and your er... students up."

Vader nodded, remaining silent as she thought about the situation carefully, "Admiral Piett, if we were to use the probes as spare parts, could we repair the landing craft enough to use for a potential emergency evacuation?"

"Yes, my lord, but evacuating the Executor w-"

"Not the executor, the school below us." Vader peered out the bridge window at the lonely expanse of space. "I am currently a combatives instructor at Beacon Academy through a deal I made with the headmaster. The first semester has only just begun, and I feel it would be wrong to simply abandon them. And since we shall wait for the Seventh Fleet to come to us, then I will continue to teach there." What Vader wasn't saying, was that he had grown accustomed to living on Remnant for the past five months. Vader was old, and he rarely had the opportunity to 'go on vacations.' Even though he was still working as a teacher, he had rather enjoyed it. Training Neo and the Twins had been both stressful and relaxing.

Admiral Piett frowned, thinking carefully, "A civilian evacuation? It would be possible, especially with the new er... vacancies on the ship. But how long will we have?"

Vader closed his eyes thinking carefully, he felt the force around him fluctuating as it tentatively responded to his command. Vader, or Anakin, always had the gift of precognition, but rarely did he push it this far. He felt the twins, an almost perfect blend of aura. The ship, a cold, immovable force of power that felt... confused and lost at the same time. It no longer had a place to be. His apprentice. A strange, fractured blend of aura and force that was nearly impossible to read... But he felt no danger from without. No star destroyers or bundles of d- Wait. There was something. "We... do not have to worry about the Seventh Fleet for several standard months... But there is another threat. It is on the planet. I do not know what it is, or even if it is supposed to be here. But I feel its darkness. Its corruption. It has lived on this planet for generations, spreading... decaying everything it touches. That is the threat we must prepare for first... The Grimm and their Master."

"The Grimm, my lord?"

Vader opened his eyes, looking back at Piett, "The Grimm are a scourge upon this planet. A darkness that corrupts and stains everything it touches. It does not seek to dominate and rule, but to simply destroy everything. I suddenly feel that they have someone controlling them. Someone alive, yet... their soul. Their aura has been corrupted. Eaten away by the same power that created the Grimm."

Piett frowned, confused by the rather cryptic response. However, he had more important things to worry about than some threat on a backwater planet, "If we take men from this planet, then we can be at full combat capabilities within the month. As for-"

"No. Train our men better. The Empire gets by through sheer numbers. The Rebellion has thus evaded capture and has even won several battles with better training and tactics. Our men can't hit the broad side of a Star Destroyer, from the inside of said Star Destroyer. And we'll be asking Remnant for better uniforms. We'll need them for unit identification later on, and the fact that our armour does nothing to protect us. It is cheap, and can maybe take a single shot before becoming useless. A slug thrower would rip right through it. The Executor is capable of holding off an entire fleet through its own automatic defenses. If we have men who can fight? Then not even the Seventh Fleet can stand to us. Get the engineers to work, and then see to it that anyone not part of the 501st is trained. I will dispatch ten of my more experienced clones to train them. You are dismissed, Admiral."

Piett nodded quickly, snapping to attention before running at a dead sprint out of the bridge. Before the Turbolift doors could slide shut, Vader called out, "The officers will be receiving training as well, Admiral!"

Vader smiled at Piett's expression of horror, and had to resist the urge to chuckle as the turbolift took him away. Melanie cleared her throat, grabbing his attention. The white themed girl stood next to her sister, looking rather uncomfortable, "Er... Lord Vader, can we go back to Remnant now? I'm not sure how I feel about being up here."

Miltades laughed, shaking her head, "Mel, you're on a space ship! This is... well, this is awesome! Lord Vader, can we try flying one of those smaller space ships that we passed on the way up here?"

Vader blinked owlishly. Once again, the twins surprised him with how different they were. He laughed, shaking his head slightly, "Those were called TIE Fighters, and I would never let you fly one of those death traps. I will see if any of the simulators survived and get some training for all of you. I would rather you flew a TIE Interceptor, as they were designed specifically for fighting other starfighters. Actually, if I could get my hands on a Sith or even a Jedi starfighter, then I could really give you girls some training. Usually, those sort of craft are designed for Force Sensitives, but I think your Auric abilities will give you the sort of sensory advantages that I have in terms of reaction times and observation skills. For now though, your sister is right. We should be getting back down to the surface."

Vader turned to one of the clones on deck, an old 501st veteran. He always made sure there was one. "You there, trooper. What's your name?"

The stormtrooper snapped to attention, "TK-124, my lord!"

Vader shook his head, "No trooper, I want your name. What do the other 501st troopers call you?"

The stormtrooper remained silent for several long moments, before clearing his throat, "They call me Doc, my Lord, on account of me being a field medic. I'm just doing my bridge shift right now."

Vader nodded, "Well, Doc. I am promoting you to First Sergeant. Your orders are to take these three girls and go collect a force of twenty 501st troopers. Pick men that you would trust with your life. You will be coming with me to the surface as my security detail. Remember, you no longer represent the Empire. You represent... You represent the New Alliance Army. Do you understand, Sergeant?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Before the sergeant could leave, Vader delivered one last order, "And send Admiral Ozzel to Landing Bay 31D."

The stormtrooper nodded, before the Turbolift doors hissed shut. Vader turned and gave the planet below him one last long look. He could feel it in what remained of his gut, this was going to change everything. Not just for Remnant.

"My lord," a lieutenant hesitantly stepped up onto the main deck o the bridge, clearing his throat nervously. "I took the liberty to have your TIE moved to Landing Bay 31E. The engineers have worked tirelessly to get it back in working order after our encounter with the anomaly, so I-"

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Have it redirected to 31D" Vader turned, marching off the bridge. The officer breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Darth Vader had something else on his mind. Usually, if someone had even touched the Dark Lord's personal starfighter, the person who presented the news would be killed immediately, followed by the engineering team who worked on it.

Whatever the reason, the Lieutenant was thanking whatever deity actually existed.

Vader had indeed been tempted to throttle the officer for daring to touch his personal craft, but recalled the fact that his operational force was at less than half of what it should have been. He also knew that the coming months… no. The coming years would be trying on all of them.

That, and dealing with a bunch of teenagers and civilians for several months, with no contact to the Empire, had made him infinitely more patient. However… There was one officer that did deserve to die. He gathered the Dark Side of the Force around himself, allowing it to swirl around him as an insidious, oppressive aura. The turbolift stopped on level D, and he stepped out. Immediately, a group of Stormtroopers spotted him and froze. He waved them on, not caring what they were doing. Then he spotted that they all bore the 501st shoulder pauldrons from the old Clone Wars. "Troopers, what is the meaning of this? Why are you… Of course, you must be the security detail. However, I must know where you found those ancient relics."

The group's leader stepped forward, giving Vader a crisp salute, "My lord, forgive us if we have done something wrong. However, I thought it would be best if we had something marking us apart from the other troopers. The Emperor has a Red Guard, and you have your Fist. If you like, we can get rid of these relics."

Vader thought about it for a moment. It was a relatively good idea. There was a chance that Remnant would be unwilling to provide the needed equipment and uniforms, so the troopers would still require identifiers to mark them apart from Imperial Stormtroopers. The Sith paused, recognizing the Force Presence of the newly promoted First Sergeant he had spoken to on the bridge. He nodded, "Excellent thinking, First Seargent. Keep this up, and you may be promoted again… I had completely forgotten about the need for identifiers in the immediate moment. On another topic… Where are the girls?"

"Oh… They're already in the Landing Bay."

Vader remained silent, suddenly getting a really strange feeling. Three teenage girls… alone… in a landing bay full of alien technology. "Stang."

He suddenly turned heel and walked towards the the Landing Bay as quickly as his aging and outdated cybernetics could move. The First Sergeant swallowed nervously, "I have a bad feeling about this." The clone troopers ran after their commander, sweating bullets in their white armour.

Meanwhile, on a scrapheap of a freighter, a certain pilot sneezed.

Vader barged into the landing bay, ignoring the pain he felt in his chest, "Neo; twins, drop whatever you're doing, now!"

All three girls froze, looking over at him from their little huddle next to a mechanic. They… were doing nothing wrong?

Vader frowned, walking over to the strange quartet, "Trooper, what's going on over here?"

The mechanic swallowed nervously, gesturing to the TIE Interceptor he was working on, "M-My lord, the girls wanted to know more about the TIE Interceptor. I w-was just showing th-them how the engine system w-worked."

Vader paused, his eyes darting between the TIE Interceptor and the mechanic. The mechanic was a blond haired, blue eyed recruit who must have been unlucky enough to have been sent to this assignment. He watched him shake in his standard issue boots and sighed, thinking about a similar, blonde boy in his class, "If that's all… Then that's fine. Girls, this mechanic has work to do, and we need to leave." He turned to see his detail rushing into the bay. "First Sergeant, where is Admiral Ozzel?"

The trooper gestured to the centre of his formation, motioning for them to step aside to reveal Admiral Ozzel wearing his officer's uniform. "You wanted to see me, Lord Vader?"

Vader took in the man's pompous attitude, his arrogant stance, and overall ineptness that seemed to ooze from him in an aura that made him oblivious to Vader's displeasure. He sneered behind his helmet, glaring at the man, "Admiral Ozzel, you were the commanding officer of the ship following the execution of the late General Tagge, correct?"

The man had the gal to smile at Vader as he nodded, "Yes, Lord Vader. And while I've been recovering from a concussion, Captain Piett has been given position of acting commander. However, if you ask me, the lad is much to eager for action to be in a command position. He would never make a good leader."

Vader let the man speak, growing angrier with every syllable. After a moment, he raised a hand, "Be quiet, Mr. Ozzel."

Ozzel frowned slightly, noticing the lack of rank given by Vader, "My Lord, I'm-"

"If you were about to say 'an incompetent buffoon, who should have never entered the military,' then you would be correct. You were the commanding officer who was also in charge of plotting the course that lead us directly into a black hole and sent us to the far side of the unknown regions with no way to contact the Empire. The result of which has branded us all as traitors and deserters by the Emperor himself." Vader did not deliver the series of events as a question, but as a statement that left no room for argument. With a gesture, the rank and insignia on Ozzel's uniform unclipped themselves and flew into Vader's outstretched hands. "I know your history, Ozzel. I have heard stories from the troopers when they think no one is listening. Stories of your incompetence. You have failed many times, but now you have failed me, and that failure nearly ended with me dead. An act of stupidity so egregious that many would call it treasonous."

The bravado and arrogance seemed to have fled the now pale and terrified Ozzel as he began to realize that something was terribly wrong. "M-My Lord… I…"

"SILENCE!"

The order rang out in the landing bay, and a cold wind swept through the area, "I am no longer Lord. You have seen to that, you fool. I am Darth Vader, General of the Alliance Army. And you… are charged with several hundred accounts of manslaughter, negligence under duty, and endangerment of both superiour officers and your own troops. Along those lines, you are charged with treason, which on it's own is punishable by death. But… we'll leave that out."

"M-My lo-… G-General, please. Sh-SHouldn't I have a t-trial at least?"

Vader looked around at the small crowd of clone and storm troopers gathering around. They were all looking at Ozzel with a mixture of pity, disgust, and rage… and triumph? It seemed that Ozzel was even more unpopular than Vader himself, "A trial of your peers? Look around you Ozzel. These are the men you endangered. The soldiers and cadets who had friends that _you_ killed. But if you insist…" He raised his voice, making it so that he could be heard throughout the landing bay. "You have all heard the charges. You have seen this man in action. He wishes it to be left to you to decide his fate!"

The men muttered to themselves, the sound rippling around the crowd. After nearly a minute, the First Sergeant stepped forward, "My… General, I think we all know the verdict. Guilty as charged. Do you wish to deliver the sentence yourself or…?"

Vader shook his head, "No… I will take care of this myself. I've been waiting for it since I first found myself on this planet. Mr. Ozzel, you have been found guilty on all accounts. Your sentence is death. You have failed for the last time."

Ozzel opened his mouth to try and plead for his life, but nothing came out. He grabbed at his throat, trying to pull at invisible fingers. Vader let him struggle for a bit, enjoying the sight of the despicable man struggling to hold onto life. After a few seconds though, a sickening crack rang out, and the late Kendal Ozzel's body flopped lifelessly to the ground. He turned away, ignoring the silence that suddenly filled the air. "Send someone to collect the body and dispose of it. Doc, it's time for you to make true first contact. I hope your men are ready."

 _ **Sorry for the delay here. I was taking leave with my family for a couple of weeks. I also have begun work on my own original work. It'll take a while, but I**_ **will** _ **write a book. Remember to support me on Pa TRE on. (Yes, I have to write it like this. FanFiction doesn't allow me to even write the word normally. I'm under the Writing Soldier. NOw to get to work on the Guardian of Magic.**_


	17. Unleash the Dark Side

**_See, I told you I just needed to do some editing. Now, I'm going to make this quick as I have to post the update and get back to motorpool in 20 minutes. I recently put out a new story in place of Guardian of Magic titled 'Operation: Vanguard.' It's a R6 Destiny crossover that I've been toying with for a bit. I also have a bit of news. Starting at the beginning of March and going through to the beginning of April, I will being in California doing a field excercise. I will not be able to get any sort of writing done when I'm there unless I am very, VERY lucky. So, on a to-do list for February is this story and Operation: Vanguard. I will be taking a break from GoM until I get more readers on it. This is still my highest rated/most read story, so I will continue to write it until it is finished. Just keep in mind that my schedual isn't exactly forgiving._**

Vader stared out at the arena floor, watching his students train. Or rather, he was watching them whisper nervously in small clusters, trying to make it look like they were training. He knew of the subject they spoke of. It was all the entire planet was talking about. The aliens that came from the stars in a flying city. The Sith Lord had expected this to happen, but never to this extent. He sighed, checking the time. There were still three hours of class remaining... Vader gestured for one of his troopers to come over,causing the class to go silent, "Call for two Landing Craft. Just the pilot and an engineer for each of them, and send Doc up. After that, you and the rest of the detail are relieved for the day. Report back at 0500hrs tomorrow. Oh, and fetch Miss Tano and the two students in the library. Nikos and Arc."

The class froze, curiousity and nervousness creating a tension thick enough for a lightsaber to cut through. Neo looked at him questioningly, along with the twins, Master, are you doing what I think you're doing?

Rather than answer her question, he turned to the class, "Alright, you can stop acting now. I am sure that many of you have questions. I will answer a few here while our rides come."

Unsurprisingly, it was the Schnee girl who had the first question. Her hand shot in the air, and she fixed him with an icy blue gaze, "Where are you from, really?"

"I am from a desert world called Tatooine. Unlike this world, which is almost a forest world as much of the planet is covered with some varient of forest,Tatooine is has a desert that spans nearly 98 percent of the planet's surface." Vader waved a hand, summoning a datapad. He had spent all night working on this, preparing for a sort of alternative lesson. With a few swipes, the holoprojector he had installed only hours ago came to life, displaying a ghostly, tan planet alongside a vibrant, though much smaller, green and blue planet. "The larger planet is the planet I was born on... Tatooine. The smaller one is Remnant."

Once again, Schnee had a question, "Alright, what's a sith? And where is Neo from?"

Vader frowned, suddenly gaining an inkling as to where this line of questioning was going, "Neo is from this planet, as far as I am aware of... Presumably from Atlas. What of it?"

Schnee crossed her arms, ignoring the hologram, "If she's from Atlas, then what's your interest with her? And you didn't answer my question. What is a Sith?"

Vader stared her down, remaining silent until she broke eye contact with an uncomfortable expression, "Neo Politan is my apprentice. As for what a Sith is... I do not believe I wish to divulge that particular bit of information. However, as for why I am 'interested' in Neo, she can do this."

He summoned a scroll to his free hand, opening up the Aura gauge. With Vader having never released his own aura (and with no plans to do so), the device was of course reading an error. Weiss rolled her eyes, "So you both have a telekinetic semblance. So does Professor Goodwitch and you don't have any interest in her."

Her partner, Ruby Rose, was more observant, "Wait, Weiss! He just used telekinesis... without any aura!"

Vader nodded, "Correct, Miss Rose. My apprentice and I have access to something called The Force, a universal energy similar to Aura, but much more powerful."

The students looked confused by that, and this time it was Ruby who voiced her question, "But Professor Vader, does that mean you don't have an Aura? How is that possible? All living things have an aura... It's what sets them apart from the Grimm!"

The Sith Lord frowned, thinking carefully, "The aura and semblances that the natives of this planet have evolved are relatively unique in terms of power and diversity. The main reason that I didn't simply carve a path through the authorities of this world's various, primitive governments is because I encountered a set of civilian twins who managed to actually surprise me with their raw speed and power."

Melanie paled, looking at her sister. This was the first that Vader had really spoken about his start on this planet. She nodded to Miltia, who tentatively raised her hand, "Lord Vader, how did you get to this planet? And what did you do before this?"

Vader stared at the red themed twin, trying to figure out what she was doing. After a moment, he decided to answer, "The ship above us is known as a Super Star Destroyer. No, it doesn't literally destroy stars, that's just the type of ship. It's name is the Executor, and it was to be the flagship of what used to be my fleet, the Death Squadron."

Every student was quiet now. Even Team CRDL was paying attention.

"I used to be High Commander of the Imperial Fleet, and second in command of the entire Galactic Empire. I acted as a sort of enforcer for my master, the Emperor... But now he has betrayed me, and has declared me traitor after I was stranded here."

Nora Valkarie was the next to ask a question. The orange haired girl was a favorite student of Vader's, though he couldn't figure out why... "So does that mean the Emperor is a bad guy?"

Vader nodded, "The worst..."

"Then we'll break his legs!"

Oh, yes... That's why. Vader had to resist the urge to laugh, and was saved by the timely interruption of his former student, Ahsoka.

"Well, would you look at that? Seem's like Skyguy is perfectly at home with a bunch of padawans..."

Vader twisted around to see the Togruta walk into the arena, hands on her hips, "Miss Tano... A pleasure as always."

Ashoka rolled her eyes, "I see he's still a bit of a grump."

"What the heck are you?"

Vader stiffened as Cardin and his team stepped forward, a mixture of disgust and fear on their faces. Well, except Cardin. He just looked disgusted. He sneered at the alien girl, pointing his mace at her, "ANswer me, animal. What are you?"

Ashoka looked taken aback at the actions of the human boy, and glanced over at Vader in confusion. When he didn't say anything, she frowned, "My name is Ahsoka Tano. I'm a Torgruta... Mind telling me what you have against other sentients?"

Cardin opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he felt the presence of Darth Vader looming over him. He turned to see that the Sith had moved directly behind him, and was now staring down at him with a menacing gaze. "Mr. Winchester, do I need to remind you about your first day in my class?"

Cardin glared up at the Cyborg, "But Professor! She could be an enemy! I mean look at her! At least faunus look remotely human. And her head! Are those horns and tentacles? She doesn't belong on th-URK!"

The teenage boy went flying into a wall, clutching at his throat. Vader had heard enough at this point, and decided to mete out punishment immediately, "Mr. Winchester, I have had enough of your antics, both in and out of class. Miss Tano is an extremely important guest of this school, and I will not stand by whilst your intolerance continues to insult her." He let the boy fall to the ground, gesturing to a pair of his troopers. "Detain this student and escort him to the Headmaster."

Two troopers immediately stepped forward, causing Cardin and his team to draw their weapons. The troopers hesitated, glancing at Vader for directions. Vader was about to allow them to physically restrain them, but stopped when he saw Neo step forward, her cloak swaying in some unseen wind. The twins were right next to her, arms crossed and smirks on their face.

Melanie glared daggers at Cardin, "Hey, Miltia… I think it's time we put a stop to this asshole."

"You're right, Mel. Hey, Neo… Let's get your name."

Neo nodded, the movement hidden by the cowl of her cloak. Her saber leapt into her hand, the shimmering blue blade blazing to life with an ominous snap-hiss. Vader was surprised to feel that, despite the malicious intent coming from Neo, the saber seemed to be… in agreement with her. The crystal within knew what Neo had planned, and wanted to help her achieve it… The thought made him shudder slightly. Something so light… Then he noticed something that made his blood run cold. She wasn't using her training setting. The trio stared at Team CRDL, sizing them up. It was Cardin who initiated the attack, charging in without a thought. Miltia intercepted him, grabbing his arm and redirecting him into a wall. Melanie followed up with a vicious kick that cracked the stone sides of the auditorium. His aura audibly cracked, but managed to hold strong. Then Sky and Dove began firing at the twins, immediately taking them for the bigger threat. Neo vanished in a flash, reappearing between them and the twins. Her lightsaber sliced effortlessly through the air, batting aside the bullets with relative ease. To say the gunmen were stunned was an understatement. Neo may not have been the most accurate at deflecting the bullets, but even she was bound to get lucky. One of Sky's bullets from his halberd rebounded perfectly, catching Dove in the chest and knocking him back. Sky turned to see if his partner was safe, and immediately regretted it. Neo was on him in a flash, planting a force enhanced punch in his gut and sending him sliding across the arena floor. She spun around, catching Russel in midair with the force and slamming him into the ground. He tried to get up, but was brutally forced into the wall with another pulse. The arena was silent after that. Melanie and Miltia strutted up to Neo, smirking.

"Well, that was easy. I wonder what your name will-" Melanie was stopped short as Cardin slammed into her from behind, activating the Burn Dust on the tip of his mace in a fiery detonation. Miltia, who was right next to her, screamed in pain at the backlash of heat and flames. Cardin appeared out of the smoke, standing over their unconscious forms with an evil smirk.

"Looks like you three have a bit of fight in you, but I saw you use your semblance pretty liberally… Which means you don't stand a chance now."

Neo blinked once, both of her eyes turning a pale white, tinged with orange. Both Ahsoka and Vader had time to think, _Oh, shit,_ before Neo lunged forwards, brutally fast. Cardin tried to swing his mace at her, only to find that the weapon was cut in half, and a large, sizzling gash had opened up on his arm. He yelled in agony, before getting pulled away by Vader. Ahsoka lunged forward, her white blades springing to life and intercepting Neo, who was still trying to reach Neo.

"Neo! You need to calm down!"

"HE HURT THEM!"

Ahsoka was stunned at the broken, raspy voice that left the tiny girl, full of pain, anger, and fear. She swallowed nervously, pushing her back and carefully blocking her furious attacks, "Yes, I know that! But you need to calm down! They may be hurt, but you can still help them! Please, listen to me!"

She glanced back at Vader, who was kneeling down next to the injured Cardin. Unfortunately, that meant she took her eyes off the girl who had been trained by one of the greatest swordsman in the galaxy. She may not have had much experience, but she knew when an opportunity had arisen. She lunged forward, catching Ashoka off guard. The Togruta tried blocking it, only to have one of her saber hilts sliced open, destroying the weapon. She stumbled back,surprise in her eyes as she swiped her saber clumsily in an attempt to ward off an attack. Neo deftly twisted around it, leaping up and planting her boot squarely in Ahsoka's face. This caused the ex-Jedi to loose her grip on her remaining saber, which clattered to the floor, extinguished. Neo stood over her, a furious expression on her face as she raised her saber to land the killing blow.

Ahsoka was stunned to see a blood red blade ignite itself in front of her face, blocking the overhand attack. Vader had actually saved her life!

"Apparently, I managed to pass on my penchant of loosing sabers to you, Miss Tano."

Neo stumbled back, fear on her face as her master stood between her, his blade already in a fighting stance. Vader's breathing rang through the arena, combining with the ominous hum of the sabres to produce an eerie atmosphere, "Neo… You need to calm down. The Dark Side is taking control of you. Your friends need your help. St-ARGH!"

Vader staggered back, putting a hand to his head as a terrifyingly powerful mind probe slammed into his mental defenses. He heard a howl of pain, only later realizing that it was him. Memories, some from his mind, others… not his own, assaulted his senses. He barely managed to bring his sabre up in time to block a furious blow from his apprentice. She was losing herself! "Ahsoka! Get Winchester out of here! Neo will kill him if she isn't stopped!"

Neo gave an inhuman screech of rage, her mental attack worsening upon Vader. He saw… THings that no human should have to experience. He relieved his most painful memories, the sacking of the temple… Killing Padme… The last one triggered his own considerable rage, which he released in an impressive blast that sent Neo flying. The pressure upon his mind suddenly vanished, and he looked up to see Neo slam into a wall. He kept his sabre ignited, moving forward cautiously, only to freeze when her image shattered like glass. He spread his senses with a painful twinge, only able to reach as far as the edges of the arena. Neo wasn't there. A groan made him turn around and give an inaudible sigh of relief when he saw Miltia stand up shakily, her aura flickering. She had been knocked unconscious by a shard of stone that had been kicked up by Cardin's mace, but was relatively okay.

"Old man, what the hell happened to you?"

All eyes went to Vader, who realized that Neo had been able to land a hit on the shoulder that had already been injured in his fight with Ahsoka. A stormtrooper sucked in a sharp breath, "My Lord! You're injured!"

Vader waved him off, clutching at his shoulder, "Send up a report to the Executor. I need a search party organized to locate my apprentice. If you see her, do not approach. She's… unstable. And prep med bay for the twins and Mr. Winchester. I will return to my quarters on the Executor." He frowned, turning to the class, "Unfortunately, we will not be visiting my ship today. Class dismissed. Return to your dorms, and do not leave them. My apprentice may not be able to recognize friend from foe right now."

He watched as the class began to slowly leave, murmuring quietly to each other. A flicker in the Force caught his attention, and he noticed the Schnee girl hanging back. She said something to her team, making herself seem aloof and nonchalant, but Vader could feel that something was off. However, it wasn't a bad feeling… Just something that the Force wanted him to know. He had learned a long time ago that he had precognitive abilities, and while he wanted to try and peer into the Schnee girl's future, his mind was too sore to attempt that. Maybe it was best to let the Force have it's way for now… A second twinge drew his attention away from the Schnee heiress, and he noticed that Neo's lightsaber had been knocked from her grasp when she was thrown across the room. He summoned it to his hand, inspecting it carefully. The Force hummed around him in a way that seemed familiar… Something he had lost ages ago.

"Thank you for saving me, An… Vader."

He turned to see Ahsoka standing behind him, looking nervous, "It was nothing. You're more useful to me alive than dead, Tano. Remember that."

Ahsoka watched her former master walk towards a group of troopers, preparing to brief them, and for a moment… She felt a shift in the Force. Something had happened today. Something monumental.

Weiss Schnee couldn't believe what she was doing. Normally, she was a stickler for the rules, but something was telling her to ignore Professor Vader's instructions this time around. She quickly made an excuse to her team mates and ducked off, a certain ice cream themed girl on her mind. Ever since her duel with the girl, she had been curious about her. Weiss had often caught herself staring at the smaller, semi-mute girl which was odd. She never really payed any attention to anyone but herself. But Neo… At first, Weiss told herself it was because she was embarrassed at being so utterly defeated by the shorter girl. But eventually, she lost that excuse. She couldn't quite put her finger at what Neo made her feel, as she had never really felt it before. Weiss frowned, shaking the thoughts from her head. She had to find Neo… "Now, if I were a short, semi-mute girl who just about murdered a student, a professor, and an alien… Where would I hide?"

"My best guess would be to start where they're most comfortable."

Weiss jumped in surprise, whirling around to see the headmaster and Glynda, the latter of which was looking extremely disgruntled. The Schnee heiress cleared her throat nervously, "What do you mean, headmaster?"

Ozpin smiled kindly, taking a sip from his ever present mug, "You're looking for Miss Politan, correct? Then my best guess would be to start where she's most comfortable. I would assist you further, but an urgent matter seems to have arisen. I do hope you find her before the troopers do though…"

Ozpin left the teen standing in the middle of the corridor, a look of utmost confusion on her face. Find where she was most comfortable? Weiss thought back to the times she had been watching Neo… She always seemed uncomfortable in brightly lit, crowded places… But seemed calmer with the twins. An idea sparked in her mind, and she rushed after Ozpin, "Headmaster, wait! I need to know where the twins live!"

Ozpin stopped, slowly turning to face her, "The twins? But they are on their way to Professor Vader's ship. I don't think they can help you."

Weiss shook her head, pleading with the eccentric man, "Please, headmaster. I really need to know where they live… They may be hurt, but I think they're still helping her."

Ozpin glanced at Glynda, who just scoffed and looked away. He smiled and looked back at Weiss, "Well, okay… Vader and his little entourage live in the west dorms, where most of the other teachers live. Top floor. They have the floor to themselves."

"Thank you, so much, Headmaster!" Weiss looked at him with grateful eyes before speeding off in the direction he mentioned, using Speed Enhancing and Jump Glyphs to move faster and cover more ground. She reached the West Dorms in a time that would have made Ruby jealous. She leapt from glyph to glyph, ignoring the stairs entirely and going straight to the top floor. She nearly tripped over herself, running from room to room in an effort to find the right one. Eventually, she made it to the end of the hall, and noticed that one of the room doors were open. Hesitantly, she poked her head in, looking for any sign of her target. Immediately, she saw Neo curled up against the wall, sitting in between the two sisters' beds. Red on one side, white on the other. She carefully stepped inside, nervous as hell, "N-Neo… Are you okay?"

The pint sized girl leapt to her feet, a terrified expression on her face. When she saw it was Weiss, she relaxed only slightly, though Weiss could see shame etched onto her face. She slumped back down to the ground,hiccupping softly. Weiss realized that Neo was crying, lamenting over her actions.

"Neo, the twins are going to be okay… Professor Vader is taking them up to his spaceship to get fixed… Nothing is going to happen to you."

Neo shook her head, her rough, pain filled voice grinding out, "I attacked my master… He's gonna kill me."

Weiss hesitantly sat down next to Neo. When she didn't motion for her to leave, she took that as a good sign, "The professor didn't seem mad, just worried. And he still called you his apprentice… He also has your lightsaber."

Neo stiffened, grabbing at her hip. When she realized her weapon was gone, she let out a little groan, "Master's gonna kill me for real now…"

Weiss watched her wince in pain as she spoke, and carefully put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's going to be okay." She quickly searched for a change in subject, biting her lip as she thought. "Uh… Neo, you remember the first time we fought? What did you mean by those words?"

Neo looked at her in surprised, before sighing. Weiss was stunned when she felt a slight pressure in her mind, and then a small voice spoke up, _I thought you looked cute. I'm sorry if I hurt you._

Weiss could feel a blush coming in full force on her face as she awkwardly cleared her throat, "O-Oh… Um… Thank you?"

Neo looked around the room, sadness etched onto her face, _I should have seen him coming. The twins got hurt because of me._

Weiss put a hand up to her head, confusion on her face, "No, things like this happen all the time in fights. Now, Cardin did use excessive force, but he's Cardin. Excuse me, but how are you doing that? You mouth isn't moving, but I can hear your voice…"

Neo blinked owlishly, before responding with an embarrassed blush, _Master Vader taught me how to use my mind to speak, since my throat was damaged during… An incident._

Weiss could feel the pain, literally, in Neo's mental voice, and she decided not to question any further on it, "Well, Professor Vader has sent some of his men out to search for you, and he seemed worried too. While I think you may have given him quite the start, I don't think he wants to hurt you…" With Neo remaining silent once more, Weiss again floundered for something to talk about. Eventually, she fell back on their first encounter in Vader's class. "So… You really think I'm cute?"

Neo nodded slowly, glancing at her with bright pink eyes. _Yes… Wait, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if you thought I was trying to insult you, I just thought-_

Weiss lifted her hand in a well practiced manner, effectively silencing the shorter girl, "It as fine, Neo… I just never had anyone say something like that to me. Thank you. I take it you er… don't like boys?"

Neo vehemently shook her head, a flicker of fear on her face. _No. The last experience I had with the opposite sex, well… I'd rather not talk about it. What about you?_

Weiss could feel her face turning a brilliant shade of red as her skin burned with a blush, "Well, I er… I haven't thought about anything like that… I'm surprised you haven't made any attempts at getting together with those twins. You three are practically attached at the hip from what I've seen."

Neo pulled a face, quickly shaking her head. _No way! They're like my sisters, so that would just be weird. Besides, I'm pretty sure they like boys._

Weiss found herself giggling at Neo's expression, trying to stifle the laughter with her hand. After a moment, she stood up, brushing her skirt off and extending her hand to the calmer girl, "Come on. I bet Professor Vader is worried sick. Miltiades woke up a bit after you left, and both twins were sent up to his ship to get some medical attention… You also landed a pretty solid blow on his shoulder, but her seemed a bit distracted at the time."

Neo paled, but reluctantly accepted the assistance to stand. _I think I may have lashed out with my mind and overwhelmed him for a bit. I don't really know. Everything is a bit of a blur._

Weiss nodded, "I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. Let's go see if we can go find the red skinned woman before we run into-"

"Hold it right there!"

Both girls spun around to see a stormtrooper training his blaster on them. Several other soldiers were visible behind him, and they poured into the room, keeping their distance from Neo. The lead soldier, a man with a large blue and gold pauldron on his soldier, beckoned to Weiss, "Miss, I need you to step away from Lord Vader's apprentice. She isn't safe right now."

Neo huffed in annoyance, but Weiss just smirked and gestured for Neo not to do anything. She stepped forward with a haughty expression on her face, "Excuse me, but do you have any idea who you're brandishing those weapons at so haphazardly?"

The soldier, rather confused by Weiss's sudden change in behavior, could only get in a single word in edgewise, "No, b-"

"I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the largest energy producing company on the planet! In terms of your militant, hierarchical structure, I would be on par with someone who has diplomatic immunity! And with the amount of clout my family's company has, combined with the fact that you no longer function as a branch of your government, I am quite certain that you wouldn't last a minute if say… you lost your job in some unforeseen incident?"

"Why you-"

Again, Weiss raised her hand, silencing him with a gesture. Neo had to force herself not to giggle as the white haired girl blustered her way through this encounter. The heiress crossed her arms, glaring at the leader, "I still don't see those weapons being lowered. Neo isn't a threat, though my threats are very real!"

She fumed silently, watching with an air of smugness as the leader reluctantly lowered his weapon, gesturing for his men to do the same, "This still doesn't change the fact that-"

"She's dangerous? I've been holding a conversation with her for the last five minutes, and she's just scared! She's perfectly safe now, though you might trigger something if you continue to threaten her with violence."

The soldier's eyes widened behind his helmet as Weiss rested her hand on the rapier strapped to her hip, and he slowly raised his hands in defeat. He had seen the twins fighting alongside Neo, and Vader had personally briefed them on some of what the citizens here could do. Fighting a Sith apprentice was one thing, if suicidal, but at least he knew what he was getting into. This planet's natives were on an entirely different level than some of the aliens he had encountered in his career, "Look, kid, I'm-"

"Just doing your job? You follow orders, right? Good job! You've found Neo, and she isn't going to be hurting anyone anytime soon. However, I'm not about to leave her in your incapable hands. Take us to Lord Vader, immediately. I don't care if he's on his flying city, just take us."

The soldier worked his jaw, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that this teenage-wannabe-princess was ordering him and his men around like some glorified officer. However, if what she said was true, then she could really make their life a living hell. With a sigh, he reluctantly nodded, "Fine. Don't blame me when Vader kills you." He placed a hand on the side of his helmet, pressing something. "This is TK-124, requesting extraction for package, plus one."

There was a garbled response that only he could hear, and he shook his head, "Some civilian girl. High profile. She claims to be keeping Lord Vader's apprentice calm. Look, I don't really care about the logistics of it, I just need the extraction."

After a moment, he gestured for the girl's to follow him, and the soldiers moved out, forming a sort of circle around the girls. Weiss continued to have a sort of smug air of superiority around her, holding her head high as she walked with Neo.

 _How did you do that?_

Weiss grinned, going out on a limb as she thought back. I live in Atlas, and soldiers visit my house all the time with General Ironwood to talk to my father. I just acted the same way I did with them. Soldier types are the easiest to manipulate, so long as you give the impression that you can order them around and then give them a reason to believe you. It doesn't work all the time, but I took a few shots in the dark, and it looks like it worked.

 _Wow… I wish I could do that. But I'm… not the best speaker._

Weiss shook her head, smiling ever so slightly at the shorter girl. Sometime, you don't have to speak. You just need to have class. I bet Professor Vader never really gave you an etiquette classes.

 _Besides how to act as a Lady of the Sith in combat? No, not really._

Weiss shook her head mentally, not really getting this whole Sith thing. Not that it really mattered at the moment. "How about this? I can teach you a bit of how to act less like a soldier, and more like a lady, and you can teach me a bit more about… whatever it is you do."

Neo seemed to consider it for a moment, before smiling broadly. _That sounds nice. I'd love to do it. But, I can't really tell you everything… Master Vader wouldn't be pleased if I told you some of our secrets…_

"That's okay. I was more concerned about things like the ship, and this… Galactic Empire Headmaster Ozpin mentioned in his little announcement when the ship arrived."

Neo blinked owlishly. _Oh, um… to tell you the truth, I actually don't know that much about it. Maybe we can ask Master Vader together?_

Weiss nodded, about to respond when the soldiers stopped them, looking up. The girls were shocked to realized that they had already made it outside, and the landing craft sent to pick them up had arrived. Wiess looked at it with some trepidation. The rear of the ship was opened up, revealing Darth Vader standing on the loading ramp, his cape billowing in the wind. He stepped off as soon as the ship landed, walking up to the soldiers who parted like the red sea. Neo immediately dropped to one knee, terror evident in her eyes. Weiss stepped between them with her hands on her hips, glaring at Vader. "Don't you dare think of scaring her anymore than she already is! Neo was terrified when I found her in that room, crying her eyes out and shaking like a leaf! She just want's to see if her friends are okay, you hear me? Answer me, you big oaf!"

There was a stunned silence as Vader stared down at the teen. The clones were prepared to see her strangled to death, but when Vader began to actually laugh, they were understandably confused. Vader let out a deep, booming laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine. He shook his head, gesturing at Neo, "My apprentice, while I am sincerely disappointed in her for loosing control of herself like that, is not in any danger. In fact, I am rather pleased with the way Darth Occulus fought today."

Weiss frowned in confusion. Darth Occulus? She glanced back at Neo for answers, and was surprised to see her looking at Vader with a mixture of confusion and exuberant joy. The ice cream themed girl looked as if she wanted to throw herself at the Sith, but barely restrained herself. Vader calmly walked up to the girl, igniting Neo's bright blue saber. "Apprentice Neo Politan of Remnant… You have completed the task set before you, to defeat a team of huntsmen… Not to mention defeating Miss Tano and managing to land a blow on myself. You have earned your name, young one." He paused, thinking carefully as he noticed the Force practically humming around him. He closed his eyes, wincing slightly as his strained mind was forced to relax. He let himself sink into the Force, letting it- no, demanding it to reveal its secrets. At first there was nothing, then he could hear snippets of conversation. People speaking in hushed whispers, as if they were being hunted. Then the screams came… Two blood red lightsabers, held by shadowy silhouettes with evil yellow eyes. Darkness engulfing the stars… But there was a small glimmer of hope. A third blood red saber appeared… And then two white ones. A green one… And two blues. A plethora of ghostly flames surrounded the new sabers, each flickering with different colours. More sabers began to appear. Some wrapped in ghostly fire, others hovering with greyish, shimmering veils.

Before he could learn anymore, he was dragged from the vision. He blinked dazidly, looking down upon his apprentice, who seemed not to notice anything amiss. He deactivated Neo's blade, holding it out to her, "Rise, Darth Occulus... Apprentice of the Force."

Neo stood up shakily, taking her blade back with a barely restrained grin. "Thank you... Master."

Vader only nodded, "You are very lucky I am more lenient than my former Master. The Emperor would have had you executed, assasinated, or sent on a suicide mission for what you just did. And as for you, Miss Schnee..." He turned on the white haired girl, scrutinizing her through his visor. "I understand you claimed diplomatic immunity with my men, and managed to coerce them into following your orders."

Weiss gulped, ducking her head nervously, "Yes, Professor. But they were going to treat Neo like some sort of bomb or weapon. She was terrified of them, and I didn't like that."

The Dark Lord let out a snort, muffled by his helmet, "Have you ever considered going into politics, Miss Schnee?"

"W-Wait, what?" Weiss blinked owlishly. Politics? She cleared her throat nervously, "Professor, I'm the heiress to the largest energy company on the planet, with multiple contracts with various militant forces. I never really had an option."

He nodded, "Well then, I suppose I couldn't interest you with being a sort of... ambassador for Remnant? I would usually go with someone of a more governmental standard, but you seem to have your foot in the door between Atlas and Vale, with your eyes watching the other two kingdoms."

Weiss's eyes widened, and she quickly bowed towards Vader, doing the only thing she could really think of, "I w-would be honoured, professor. But I wouldn't know the first thing about your er... Galactic Empire."

Vader waved off the girl's protest, "You can be taught. It's high time I began teaching Neo and the twins about the Galaxy anyways, and I have to contact the Alliance tonight as well. You and the girls will sit in with me, and watch. That is, if you want to."

Weiss glanced over at Neo. this is what they had been talking about, right? Learning about the galaxy together? After a moment, she nodded, "I accept, Pr... Lord Vader."

The Sith Lord grinned under his helmet, extending his hand, "Then welcome aboard, Ambassador Schnee."

 ** _And done. I think this is my longest chapter yet. I'll have to check the records of past stories to verify that though. Hope you enjoyed, leave a review, and head on over to my Patron Page if you want to support me. I'm Writing Soldier or, alternatively you can go to the patron URL and add_** /Writing_Soldier ** _if you want to expidite the process. Until next time!_**


	18. Millions of Souls

_**Alrighty then! Here's another chapter for the Force of Change. The gears of war are turning quicker now. The Empire's Death Star plans have been stolen, and the attack on Scarif is over. We are now officially in the same time period as the Original Trilogy. And here is where things start getting interesting...**_

"Lord Vader, you cannot expect us to believe that you suddenly want to assist the rebel alliance with bringing back to the republic."

Vader scowled at the flickering blue image of Mon Mothma and her Rebel Leaders, wondering how many times they were going to cover this particular topic. Up until that particular moment, he had merely made vague reassurances that he was against the Empire and whatnot, being as subtle as he could be without saying outright what his plans were. He was still a Sith, after all. But now, he had taken just about enough disrespect from this civilian rebel leader, "General Mothma, I am not here to discuss bringing back the Republic. As far as I am concerned, the Galactic Republic and its corruption can burn in Sith Hell. You and your _Rebel Alliance_ are still nothing but a group of terrorists in my eyes, attacking Imperial troops, bases, and caravans without provocation. It's one thing to attack the concentration camps and slave trade, and that's honorable and admirable for your cause. But to attack supply runs and Imperial Outposts for... a _statement_ is both treasonous and a terroristic threat."

Admiral Akbar let out a barking, harsh laugh, "A Sith is correcting us for attacking from behind? Oh, I wish General Kenobi was here to witness this!"

Vader growled audibly, the servos in his hands straining as he clenched his fists in anger. Before he could reach across the galaxy and choke the life out of Ackbar though, the Schnee heiress stepped forward and tapped his arm, "Pro... My Lord, may I speak?"

Vader glanced down in surprise, before nodding slowly. He looked back at the assembly of holograms before him, "Rebel Leaders, allow me to introduce ambassador of Remnant, Weiss Schnee."

Weiss cleared her throat nervously, nearly letting out a small shriek of surprise as Vader nudged her into view with the Force. She took a moment to compose herself, before straightening up and looking at the collection aliens, "Lord Vader is right. I don't know much about your Galactic Empire or your Rebel Alliance, but attacking military installations and supply trains is making you look like nothing but a terroist group causing instability and chaos wherever you go. We have a similar situation on my planet in the form of an extremist group known as the White Fang.

"Lord Vader doesn't approve of your tactics, however you both have a common goal. You want to see this Emperor of yours brought to justice, or dead. And I for one, am most appalled at the idea... Who is going to take his place? You can't just immediately switch a monarchy out for a true republic, not that republics work anyway. Too easy to corrupt... The Kingdoms of Remnant us a combination of Constitutional Monarchies and a planetwide council. Is it effective on a Galactic Scale? I don't know... But I do know this. Your Republic was a gilded apple. I'm sure you and your petition of 2000 knew about that already, Mon Mothma."

Vader nodded in approval. He had given Weiss and his girls a crash course in the history of the Galaxy in the few hours they had before this conversation, and the transition from the Republic to Empire was one of the highlights that the Schnee girl seemed to focus on. He had to resist the urge to laugh as some of the Rebel leaders began looking at their general warily. Admiral Akbar seemed the most suspicious though, "General, what is she talking about?"

Mon Mothma scowled, "This girl doesn't know what she's talking about. The petition was something a group of senators and I were attempting just before the Empire came about. It has noth-"

"It has everything to do with what's happening now!" Weiss narrowed her eyes, glaring angrily at Mon Mothma. "The Petition of the 2000 was an attempt by a group of senators and politcal officials, including Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, and Padme Amidala, to remove Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and his newly appointed Moffs from power, returning the Republic to its Pre-War status. Of course, that's also the same Supreme Chancellor who is currently Emperor over the Galaxy. The same Emperor who declared Lord Vader a traitor after his ship went MIA when he crashed into... I'm sorry. When he had to perform and emergency slingshot maneuver under a Black Hole with the Empire's new prototype flagship."

Mon Mothma stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the table the Alliance Leaders sat at, "Enough! What exactly are you getting at, girl?"

Weiss smirked, "General, I am the Ambassador for Remanant, and I currently represent both my planet, and the New Alliance Army led by Lord Vader. The New Alliance Army extends their offer of assistance to you, but both of us need help... The Empire is sending the Seventh Fleet, lead by the recently promoted Grand Admiral Thrawn, to dispose of Lord Vader and his ship. After which, he will more than likely proceed to subjugate my world. If you want to prove yourself as a legitimate military force, I think it's time to stop using such Terroristic tactics and fight on even ground. Instead of fighting over supplies, you need to fight for a planet. Oh, and if you win here... You also get Lord Vader himself and the SSD Executor as allies. I don't know about you, but I think a 20 kilometre spaceship is a rather useful weapon. Not to mention a group of men who can train your alliance how really fight a war. Battle movements, tactics, physical prowess, and above all... Intelligence. Yes, you can gather intelligence yourself, but I doubt you rarely get anything the Emperor doesn't want you getting. Correct?"

The rebel leaders murmured amongst themselves, with Mon Mothma looking absolutely thunderous at the fact that a 17 year old girl had just put several large cracks in her foundation of authrority. Before any of them could speak up, a somewhat elderly voice spoke, "I for one, believe that the girl is right... And I would be glad to go to this Remnant and speak on behalf of the Alliance."

Weiss could feel the temperature drop in the room as an older gentleman in robes stepped into view, smiling gently, "It has been a long time, Anakin..."

Weiss turned nervously towards Vader, who was clenching and unclenching his fists, "Obi-Wan Kenobi... That is not my name. Why would you come to this planet? Surely you know that would be the end of your life."

The man shrugged, "So be it, Vader. I simply wish to see how my old apprentice is getting along... And I wanted to see your apprentice and class. From what I understand, you're in charge of a class of teenagers? That is something I never expected from you, my former padawan."

Vader let out an inaudible groan, the anger seeming to drain out of him, "Shut up, old man..."

Kenobi smiled sadly at Vader, shaking his head as if he knew something the armour clad man didn't. Admiral Akbar narrowed his eyes at Kenobi, before slowly looking towards Vader. Slowly, terror and understanding lit up his eyes, "Kenobi... Is that...? You're telling me that Anakin Skywalker is Darth Vader, and his s-?"

"That will be enough, Admiral." Mon Mothma looked sourly at Vader and Weiss, considering her options. Ambassador Schnee, you have made your point. Unfortunately, we do not have the strength to take on the Seventh Fleet and Grand Admiral Thrawn, even with this... new star destroyer. Darth Vader, how strong would you say your forces are?"

Vader sighed, wishing he could strangle Kenobi right then and there, "The Executor took heavy damage to the hyper drives, though my crew managed to patch it with spare parts from probe droids and smaller lost ten percent of the crew, and most of the officers due to... complications. However, we still have over 245,000 troopers and several thousand gunners. Most of our starfighters and mechanical transports are fully operational."

He nodded to Weiss, who continued for him, "General Mothma, the Executor is designed to take on entire fleets. But she has sustained enough damage to turn a somewhat assured victory into a probable loss. My planet isn't asking you to send a fleet. We simply need two or three ships. Frigates to bolster the Executor's strength. You can also send your own diplomats to the planet as a sort of introduction to the galaxy." Weiss bit her lip, considering something carefully. "Mon Mothma... Remnant isn't perfect. Most of the kingdoms are semi-united, but we have a global extremist group out there... who would want nothing more than to see humans all burn in hell. I look at you, and see that it doesn't have to be like that. To be honest, I don't have a clue what half of you are, but it's obvious that you can work together peacefully. We could use something like that here on Remnant. Please..."

Admiral Ackbar nodded, looking to Mon Mothma, "General, I think she has a point. It would be better for us to arrive at this planet before the Empire, if only to prevent them from enslaving another planet."

The other council members nodded in agreement, murmuring their assent. Mon Mothma scowled, "It's settled then. General Kenobi, I want you, along with that rag-tag group of yours, to go to Remnant. Admiral Ackbar, you will represent the non-human side of th-"

Weiss cleared her throat loudly, interrupting again, "General Mothma, we already have a Togruta amongst our number, an Ahsoka Tano. Perhaps you know her? I think she will suffice as our non-human representative. I'm sure Mr... Er... I didn't get your name, sir."

"Fleet Admiral Gial Ackbar, ma'am."

Weiss nodded, shooting him a small smile, "Yes, I'm sure Fleet Admiral Ackbar is needed with your main forces. After all, we're only fighting one fleet. You're fighting the entire Empire at your end."

Mon Mothma looked like she was about to throw her hands up in the air and call it quits as she stood up stiffly, "If you so wish. We will send two of our frigates to your planet. Give us the coordinates. Alliance out."

As the fuzzy blue images faded away, Weiss nearly collapsed backwards from relief and terror. Vader reached out and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder... Well, as reassuring as he could get, "You did well, Miss Schnee. Just as we rehearsed, for the most part. You managed to shake them up as well, something I wasn't expecting. Darth Occulus, take Miss Schnee and go visit your friends. There is something I must attend to..."

Neo nodded, grabbing Weiss's arm and practically dragging her out of the room. She had a good idea about what her master had to attend to. Vader waited for them to leave, before turning to the communications interface and inputing a certain set of values that had been given to him during the meeting. He waited for a moment, before the hazy blue figure of his former Jedi master appeared, "General Kenobi… I'm surprised to see you alive an well. Though I feel that time has not been kind on you."

Obi-Wan Kenobi looked at Vader with that sad smile of his, "No, I fear that it has not. You were right, you know. Tatooine is a rather dreadful place to live."

Vader snorted, the sound inaudible due to his voice modulator, "Of course you would go there… Is my mother's husband and his family still there, or did they finally regain there senses and get off of that ball of dust and sand?"

Obi-Wan winced, looking as if Vader had stabbed him in his very soul, "Vader… The Lars's were killed. After the Battle of Scarif, Princess Leia Organa escaped to the Tatoo system, and ejected the plans to the Death Star onto the planet's surface, along with an astromech and a protocol droid. It was found by…"

Vader frowned as Obi-Wan trailed off, a soft ping in the Force telling him that something was wrong, "Obi-Wan, what happened? Who found it? Was it Owen?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, looking beyond tired, "Anakin… Do you remember Mustafar?"

Vader clenched his fists, but allowed the old man to use _that_ name, "Yes… You turned my wife against me, and then left me for dead next to a river of lava?"

A flicker of shame crossed the old Jedi's face, "Anakin, Padme didn't know I was on the ship. She was coming to see what you were doing… I stowed away to try and stop you. It was your rage, Anakin… However, you didn't kill her. The reason I didn't take you with me… Is because she was still alive."

Vader went numb. In fact, the only reason he didn't fall down was because his cybernetics didn't allow him to do so, "Padme… She's alive? But I saw her body… I was at the funeral. I visit her grave every year. You're lying! I killed her!"

Obi-Wan quickly rushed to placate Vader's incoming anger, "No, Anakin, I never said she survived… She died during childbirth, or rather… Right after."

Again, the Sith Lord was thrown for a loop. Wait, if she had died _after_ giving birth… "I have a child?"

Obi-Wan nodded, "Twins, actually. I-"

Both Force sensitives cried out in pain as a wave of terror and outrage slammed into them with the speed of a charging Rancor. Vader was actually brought to his knees by the suddenness of the wave. It took several seconds for him to recover, struggling back to his feet, "What… What just happened?"

Obi-Wan winced, pressing a hand to his head, "I don't know.I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Vader nodded in agreement, surprising himself, "Yes… The Empire… No, they wouldn't."

Obi-Wan's face darkened as he realized what Vader was thinking, "They fired the Death Star. But at what planet?"

Vader closed his eyes, using his considerable Force abilities to stretch his senses across the Galaxy, "The Alderaan System… If I recall, the Organa's are from there. You mentioned something about a Princess Leia Organa?"

The Jedi nodded, "Yes, she was the one who sent the Death Star plans to Alderaan. Resourceful girl, used your old droids to carry a the Death Star plans to Tatooine, then waited until the Imperials were on board to start the destruct sequence of her ship, launching all of the escape pods out at once and forcing them to get out of the blast radius while she escaped undetected. She's the spitting image of Padme, but most certainly takes after her father."

Vader blinked owlishly at the casual mention of the Princess of Alderaan being his daughter. Luckily, he was a Sith, and knew how to put things like that aside… Sort of. "Bail Organa. They must have used him to try and find Leia. Threatened him with the destruction of Alderaan if he didn't say anything. Knowing him, he probably tried to give false information, and Alderaan was destroyed as a result… Leia! Was she on Alderaan?"

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to chuckle at the concern in Vader's synthesized voice, "No, Leia is here with Luke, your son, and my apprentice."

Vader stared at the man coldly, "Let me guess… You were going to withhold the fact that I'm his father from him until you were sure that he would kill me without hesitation? Do either of them even know I'm their father? Who their mother is? What have you told them, old man?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "Please, Anakin… I will tell them who you are, just be patient. However, you will have to explain your actions when they arrive on Remnant."

"And I will still be killing you, old man. You are the reason I am trapped in this accursed suit of armour. Every breath I take, I feel the fires of that dreaded planet burning through me. Moving is torture. Eating, drinking… I am a prisoner in this armour. And you are the one responsible."

Vader ended the transmission abrubtly, crushing the device before Obi-Wan could try and say anything in his defense. Was it necessary? No. But it did feel good. The room around the dark lord groaned in protest as his anger began seeping out, though Vader himself remained still. He… He had children? Twins? The Emperor, did he know about this? How many people knew? And his children… They must have seen him as nothing more than a monster… A sharp, stabbing, and unfamiliar feeling entered his chest, a feeling he soon came to see as remorse. Regret for his actions in the Empire. For allowing it to come to power in the way it did.

But he wouldn't allow something like remorse to stay within him. Instead, he brought his anger in, and purged the remorse. Crushing it under his heel while redirecting the blame to someone, anyone he thought could take it. The Emperor for manipulating him. The Jedi for not doing anything. Obi-Wan for whispering lies into his childrens' ears. His vision began to blur, confusing and surprising the Sith Lord as he quickly figured out that he was crying. A long, mournful moan broke frome the man as he sank to his knees. A cry that spoke volumes of his pain and agony, both physical and mental, and told all that he would have his revenge… One way or the other.

A soft clink of metal brought Vader out of his misery, and he looked up to see his recently promoted First Sergeant looking down at him with a sense of resignation and sorry. He held his hand out to the armoured Sith Lord, "I won't ask what that was about, sir… But we should probably get you to your chambers. You haven't had a bacta rinse in ages, and I'm betting that suit isn't the most comfortable of things at its best moments."

Vader didn't bother taking the clone's offer of help, knowing that he would be far to heavy to lift. He stiffly rose, nodding in appreciation though. "Thank you, First Sergeant…" He looked around the war room, wincing slightly when he saw the massive amount of damage he must have caused in his pain. Wires were torn apart, panels bent and warped, and monitors were completely shattered. It looked like a bomb had gone off. "First Sergeant. I can get to the bacta tank myself… Please go and check on the girls. If they are all ambulatory, send them to my quarters. I must speak to them."

The stormtrooper nodded, "Right away, my lord." He stepped aside to let his superiour pass, before taking off at a light jog towards the infirmary. He hadn't seen his lord this worked up since the early days of the Empire...

"It's not funny! I could have seriously screwed up! And Professor Vader looked like he was about to kill that poor man!" Weiss glared irritably at Melanie, who had been laughing for the last five minutes due to Neo showing them the memories of the meeting.

Her sister, Miltia, was more reserved, but was struggling not to giggle as well. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to keep a straight face, "Well, you didn't. And in fact, it looks like you got us some help."

Neo nodded, _Yes. However, I am worried about my master. Lord Vader's Force Presence has been... tumultuous to say the least, ever since that man appeared. Obi-Wan Kenobi was his name. I think he was the one who put master in that suit._

Weiss looked at Neo in surprise, "Wait, I knew he was suffering from some sort of injury, but are you saying he has to wear that suit?"

Neo glanced at the twins nervously, before nodding, _Yes. That man you saw in the hologram was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader's former master. They had a falling out, resulting in master losing his arms and legs. He was also severely burned to the point where he needs a life support suit to stay alive._

Weiss frowned, thinking carefully, "Do you think he would like to get out of that thing? Our technology may not be the best, but our healing techniques are rather exceptional, and our prosthetics have advanced to the point where we can channel aura through them."

Neo tilted her head slightly, considering the question carefully based off what little she knew about her master, _I think that he would have gotten rid of the suit if he could. Judging by the tech on this ship, he would have easily been able to upgrade his body whenever he wanted. I think there's a reason he keeps that suit. It's like..._ The girl paused for a moment, searching for the right words. She thought about what she felt around the towering man. _He's mourning. Constantly. He hides it behind his strength, but he's haunted by the ghosts of his past. I-_ Neo's mind went silent as a wail of pain erupted from her mouth. She droppped to her knees, confused tears streaming down her face.

Weiss grabbed the girl's shoulders, concern and worry in her eyes, "Neo, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

The twins glanced at each other with matching expressions of fear and worry. Melanie darted towards the door, "I'm going to get Vader! Try to- Oh! You're one of those Stormtrooper guys, right?"

A white armoured man with a blue shoulder pauldron stood in the entrance of the med bay, his face hidden by his helmet, "Yes, ma'am. I am TK-125, otherwise known as Doc. I'm the medic for this section of the ship. Lord Vader requested that I retrieve you three to discuss business. It appears that his apprentice can feel it too... Come with me."

Without waiting for an answer, the 501st trooper turned stiffly and marched away from the Med Bay. Weiss hurried after him, gesturing for the twins to help Neo, "What do you mean 'can feel it, too?' What happened to Neo?"

The first sergeant waited for the other three to catch up, with Neo leaning on Miltia for support, "The planet Alderaan has been destroyed."

All three girls froze, each with an expression of disbelief. Melanie shook her head, "An entire planet? What did they do? bomb it from orbit? Go down and just kill people door to door?"

The storm trooper shook his head, "No... The Empire has a massive battle station known as the Death Star. It's official primary function is to ferry massive amounts of troops and supplies anywhere in the galaxy. But it's real function is to obliterate any trace of resistance against the Emperor. The planet Alderaan was blown up by the Empire. Completely and utterly destroyed... There is no more planet there."

Weiss glanced at Neo, making a few connection, "Did Professor Vader feel it getting destroyed as well?"

The First Sergeant nodded, "Yes, ma'am. He did. And if his conversation with some old Jedi was any indication, most Force Sensitives felt it."

Weiss frowned, filing away the information for later, "You sound as if you speak from experience."

The stormtrooper shrugged, "Back before the Empire came around, I had just been put into active service in the Grand Republic Clone Army. I've seen what happens when Jedi are around a massive amount of death. it affects them on a more subconscious level than normal people. It didn't save the scum when Order 66 came around."

Order 66. Vader explained that the Emperor had tampered with the clones, programming a set of pre-existing orders coded to his voice. When Order 66 was executed, the clones turned on their Jedi commanders, executing them without a second thought. And because they were just following orders, the Jedi didn't feel any malacious intent directed towards them. The thought of something like that unnerved Weiss. She supposed it wasn't much better than the Atlasian Knights. They could be hacked, and no one would know until it was too late. The heiress shivered, an odd feeling passing over her for a moment, then it was gone. She should talk to General Ironwood about getting the Knights checked regularly.

The Stormtrooper stopped in front a lone door, gesturing for them to go in, "You four go on ahead. I'll stand guard."

Neo nodded, _Thank you, Doc._

"No problem kid."

The four girls hesitantly entered the chambers of Darth Vader, a feeling of dread and anger infusing the air and causing them discomfort. When they saw the reason for the strange atmosphere, Melanie sucked in a sharp breath, "By Oum, old man... Did that Kenobi guy do this to you?"

Piercing blue eyes stared out at them from a mangled, burnt, and scarred body suspended in a large tube of liquid. All four of his limbs were sliced off and capped with a strange metal device, with his right arm being the most intact and capped off just below the elbow. The man they knew as an unwavering pillar of darkness and strength... was nothing more than a weak old man (Physically speaking) being kept alive like some sort of Frankenstein creation. Neo hesitantly walked up to the glass and placed a soft, tenetative hand on the surface, _Master... Why didn't you say something? We could have helped you._

The man shook his head, showing that he could hear him. Vader's voice boomed out from a nearby speaker, "It is too late for me, apprentice. You need to concern yourself on the coming war. The Empire has used the Death Star to destroy a planet, and I fear that if we defeat the Seventh Fleet... Remnant will be the next target."

 _ ****_

 _ **And there's another installment for the Force of Change. I still have another four hours on this damned bus ride, so I'll try to get another chapter in for Operation: Vanguard. Remember, I want to see those reviews! And on that note, I've been thinking of choosing a story at random to continue with (or rewrite, depending on the story), just a chapter here and there. However, I want to know what you, my reader think. Are there any stories in particular you want to see brought back? I go to the field later next week, so I'll be able to see reviews for several days. If you get them in on time, I might be able to start work on a chapter while I'm in the field.**_


	19. Danger Close

_**Hello? Is this thing on? Do I still have my audience? Damn, it's been a while since I updated this thing, hasn't it? I hope I haven't lost too many readers. I really only have one note to send out on this, barring the usual 'support me on my PAT re ON account ( /Writing_Soldier ), and leave a review, so let's make this quick.**_

 _ **I am a writer, and I will always expect criticisms and complaints. In fact, I usually enjoy receiving them, because they are (usually delivering tips and pointers on things I miss, and help me improve. However, as mentioned before, I am a writer. In fact, I am THE writer of this story, and of the other stories on my profile. For those of you following my other story "Death's Angel" (go check it out if you haven't), you will have noticed a long-ish note concerning this story and the scene where Vader breaks Glynda's hand. Was it overkill? Maybe. Was it over-dramatic? Definitely, but that was the point. Did I take a few liberties? Eh… It's Darth Vader… The guy can bend durasteel by accident. I think busting someone's aura is easy enough. Now, I had received a rather…**_ **persistant** _ **set of reviews from one person, you know who you are, and yes this one is half directed at you this time. This person raised concerns with the aforementioned scene, making me realize that there were several other readers who had either left reviews, or had PMed me directly about it. Usually, I will try to respond directly to those who have specific questions when I have the time, or if you PM me directly. I'm just that sort of guy. I will hold short conversations about your concerns and attempt to alleviate them. And that sort of behavior is acceptable in my eyes. It's simply the writer and the reader interacting in a civilised manner. However, what is not acceptable, and what could be considered rude and borderline harassment, is when you consistently try to argue and straight up curse at me over a single scene that it starts going to far. It is when the author writes a message covering the broad spectrum of readers and their concerns and said person goes through both public reviews and PM systems to rage and flame at the author, that it reaches the point where you probably shouldn't go.**_

 _ **I am**_ _ **the writer. Yes, I will take liberties with characters for the sake of a good scene or the story. I enjoy reading reviews, and encourage you to do so! Hell, I leave reviews for my favorite stories, and I love to read other stories. If you feel that strongly about a scene, write your own stories! I would love to see how other people would play things out. I'm not some asshole who think's my writing is the best thing since sliced bread. I look to other writers for inspiration, and am always learning new tricks to help myself. In summary, leaving a review is fine… But please refrain from becoming the stereotypical 'flamer.'**_

 _ **Now that I have that off my chest, let's get into the story!**_

 _ **Team RWBY Dorm  
2000hrs**_

* * *

Danger Close: In close air support, artillery, mortar, and naval gunfire support fires, it is the term included in the method of engagement segment of a call for fire which indicates that friendly forces are within close proximity of the target.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…" Yang slammed her hands on the desk, glaring at Weiss while Ruby shined a lamp in the heiress's face. The white haired teen had immediately been beset upon by her team as soon as she stepped foot in her room. Neo and the twins hadn't been allowed to come in with her, having been given the excuse of an 'emergency team meeting.' Their antics were quickly getting on Weiss's nerves, and she was sorely tempted to take a page out of Lord Vader's book and just remove the annoyance, even if for a little bit. She jumped slightly as Yang barked at her, "You went up to the Professor's space city without us? You're going to tell us everything that happened up there, and don't leave a single bit out."

Weiss shook her head, glaring imperiously at Ruby and her lamp, "No, I don't think I will. For starters, you could probably afford to approach something like this with a bit more tact. And then there's the little fact that it isn't up to me what you know. That privilege belongs to Lord Vader. And get that light out of my face!"

Ruby shook her head, shining it closer if anything, "Not until you tell us everything! As your team leader, I order to spill it! We're partners, Weiss! You can't be holding out on us!"

Weiss grit her teeth, a bright white Glyph appearing in her palm, hidden below the table. Before she could use it though, the door opened with a click, swinging open to reveal Darth Vader and his apprentice. The twins poked their heads around his cloak, shooting Weiss matching grins, "Hey, Snow Princess. Heard you were having some trouble-"

"So we went to get the old man."

Weiss blinked owlishly at the stereo she just heard, before looking nervously at Vader, "My Lord, I didn't say anything, I sw-"

"That is quite alright, Miss Schnee. May I come in?"

Weiss went to nod, but was cut off as Ruby and Yang jumped in the way, with the former glaring at the old Sith Lord, "Absolutely not! You did something to Weiss on that space ship, and now you want to make sure it's stuck, right? Well no chance! We'll find out what you did, and fix it! You hear me, we'll- EEP!"

Vader ducked his way into the room, moving Ruby and Yang aside with a simple gesture. With the two overprotective teens out of the way, he was able to see Weiss face to face. The massive monolith of a man peered down at her silently, not saying anything for the longest time. After a moment, he sighed, the sound barely audible under his forced breathing, "I'm proud of you, Miss. Schnee. I was not aware of your worldly trials when I made you ambassador. However, I had my intelligence analysts look into your family name after one of the troops recalled you throwing around your family name. Your father is... well, I'd say he's scum, but that would be casting a good light on myself, I'm afraid."

Weiss winced when Vader brought up her father, and opened her mouth to defend herself. However, Neo placed a hesitant hand on her arm, shaking her head mutely and pointing at Vader. Listen, don't talk yet.

Vader glanced gratefully at his apprentice. He really was out of practice at being nice. His short period as a teacher had mellowed him a slight amount, but he still had a long way to go, "Miss Schnee, if you wish, we can bring your father to justice. Just a preliminary glance at his dealings revealed enough to put him away for a very long time in accordance with your laws."

Weiss's eyes widened, and she glanced at her team, who had looks of bewilderment on their faces, "You mean I can tell them, milord?"

Vader waved her off, "I am no longer a Lord, Miss Schnee. Call me General if you must. And yes, you are allowed to speak of the alliance and whatnot to your team. In fact, I was expecting you to do so, hence my appearance here."

Weiss nodded gratefully, turning towards her team, "General Vader has made a sort of impromptu ambassador for Remnant and for his men on the Executor, the er... Super Star Destroyer hanging over our heads."

"Whaaa!?" Ruby looked at Weiss in utter bewilderment, sentiment shared with Yang and Blake, though not quite as vocally. "But Weiss, you're a Huntress! How are you going to be a Huntress and this ambassador thingy?"

"Ruby, this is bigger than all of us. Remnant is just a tiny planet in a massive galaxy." Weiss looked at her team leader pleadingly. "Please, don't make me choose..."

Ruby and Yang looked at each other in confusion, unable to formulate a response. However, one member of the team had yet to voice her opinion. "I think it's a good idea."

All eyes went to Blake Belladonna, the last member of Team RWBY. Vader watched her silently for a moment, before gesturing to her hair, "Miss Belladonna, remove the bow, please."

Blake's eyes widened, and she subtly backed away, her hands flying up to the ribbon perched neatly on her head, "I don't see why th- OH!"

Blake gasped as her ribbon suddenly unwound itself, revealing her secret to everyone in the room. Two, black cat ears, marking her as a Faunus, as a nonhuman. There were several small gasps in the room, though the only ones who didn't seem surprised were the Force sensitives, and Yang Xiao-Long. Yang grinned, "Yep. I knew it."

Blake looked fearfully at Weiss, who seemed extremely conflicted, "Weiss... I'm... I didn't want you to know. Especially you."

Weiss immediately held up her hand, shaking her head, "I don't want to hear it. I just got off a ship larger than this city, held a conversation with several _aliens_ , and became girlfriend to General Vader's apprentice, and you really think I would care about this? Blake, you're part of this team, all of us are. Yes, I despise the people who have done so much harm to my family, but as far as I can tell, you aren't them."

Blake's mouth opened and closed like a dying fish. Neo slipped around Vader, standing next to Weiss. Blake finally seemed to latch onto the pint sized girl with her eyes, her ears twitching, "S-So... you and the ice cream girl?"

Neo smirked at the cat girl, her eyes sparkling with amusement, _Is there something wrong with that?_

Blake shook her head quickly, "N-no! I was just…. I uh…"

A deep, rumbling chuckle rolled away from Vader, showing his enjoyment at watching Blake squirm, "Miss Belladona, for now, nothing has changed. The Rebel Alliance will not be here for several months at the least. With the war in full swing, that may be longer."

Yang seemed to perk up at the Sith's statement, "War? What war? Remnant's at peace right now!"

Weiss shook her head, "Not war on Remnant. Yang, our world is about to get a lot bigger…"

Miltia nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Professor wasn't kidding when he said that he came from another planet. Remnant… Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but in some aspects, Remnant is severely backwater compared to the rest of this er… Galaxy thingy…"

"Galactic Empire. And what do you mean 'some aspects?'" Vader looked down sharply at Miltia, who cleared her throat nervously, gesturing at Vader himself.

"Umm… No offense, professor… But I know some basic civilians with better prosthesis than you."

Vader merely glowered at the girl, who immediately shut up. After a moment, he turned to team RWBY, trying to remember where he was going with all of this, "Ruby Rose, you are the leader of this team, correct?"

Ruby grinned, giving the Combatives Professor the thumbs up, "Yep! Team Leader Ruby Rose, reporting for duty!"

"Good. As Weiss Schnee is now the ambassador of Remnant and of my own forces, you will be working closely with the twins and Darth Occulus. This is not an excuse to let your grades fall, though."

Ruby blanched slightly, "But Professor Vader, my team and I are er… I mean… We were sort of fighting the-"

"White Fang? Yes, I've heard of your little rebel cell. Their cause _would_ be admirable, if they were vying for the proper solution." Vader stood up a little straighter, leveling an unfeeling glare at the smaller girl. "You no longer have to concern yourself with the White Fang, or Roman Torchwick. With my ship and men here, I can bolster Vale's resources and stamp out the White Fang cells here. The 501st could use the target practice…"

Blake frowned, "You aren't going to hurt them are you? I mean, yes, I know people will be hurt, but you aren't going to kill anyone, are you?"

Vader just looked at the Faunus girl, "Miss Belladona… You have a sub-sect of the Human Race wanting to either subjugate or cause the extinction of the dominent species of your planet. I personally have nothing against the Faunus, but something like that is bad for an intergalactic war, not to mention your Grimm problem, which will be dealt with once I figure out what your headmaster is hiding."

Blake's eyes widened, "But professor, they aren't bad people! I know what the media-"

Blake suddenly fell silent as Vader flexed his Force Presence, producing a suffocating, foreboding atmosphere, "Miss Belladonna… You need to realize that your former comrades are not your friends. They will gut you as soon as look at you. The best way to win a war that is already in place, is to strike first, and leave nothing left. I should know. I've fought in two wars already. And it is too late. We have received intelligence of at least two potential strikes, and I have dispatched Squad Forty, my elite commando squadron, along with s platoon of clones, to the most likely site. If the white fang shows up, they will be terminated. If you are found at the scene of any such event, you will be treated as an enemy, and dealt with summarily."

Even Yang looked disturbed by Vader's relative nonchalance. He was talking about executing citizens of their planet as if they were animals. The twins and Neo, having trained under the Sith Lord for the better part of the year, took it a bit better as they were used to his rather blunt way of approaching things. Vader shook his head, the gesture nearly invisible under his helmet, "As I was trying to say earlier, you will be working with my apprentice and protégés when learning about the Galaxy at large, however you performance here in Beacon cannot suffer because of it. I will be closely monitoring your grades throughout the school year. If I feel that you cannot keep up, then you will be left behind."

Ruby raised her hand hesitantly, "Um… Professor Vader? Does this mean we get to use your soldier's weapons?"

Vader seemed to deflate at the weapon nut's request, "Miss Rose… Yes, it does. In fact, your weapons will likely be receiving upgrades. Your dust rounds are relatively… unreliable. When I first encountered your firearms, I was surprised to see that what I thought were primitive slugthrowers, used a sort of naturally contained energy, like a crystallized blaster bolt. Unfortunately for the team your headmaster attempted to ambush me with, I was easily able to deflect the rounds. Also… Who the stang uses a nonlethal bullet? I've seen records of your Vytal Festival battles, and the bullets just ping off the participant's auric shielding. Not to mention they are completely ineffective against grimm armour."

Ruby let out a small sound of protest, "Professor, grimm armour is some of the hardest stuff on Remnant… It's hard to pierce it."

Vader seemed to think about something silently, his harsh, death rattle the only sound in the room. After a moment, he nodded, "Maybe for your level of technology. I will admit that I have yet to see the same sort of projectile methods seen on other worlds. Your Dust is wholly unique to Remnant. However, you now have access to higher technology, and you will need to grow accustomed to it. Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna, with your penchant for semi-standard blades, I will see about having sabers crafted for you. You will be allowed to alter and tinker with them until they feel comfortable for you. Miss Rose… We'll see."

Yang quickly noticed that she was left out of the topic of new weapons, "Umm.. Professor, what about me?"

Vader raised an eyebrow, "To be perfectly honest… You have to be the single oddest fighter I have ever met. While each of your allies, with the exception of Mr. Arc, have at least a mid ranged defense… You seem to get by without it. I will be training you to use a standard blaster, but other than that I see no problems with allowing you to use your current weapons. Some modifications may be made to increase your defense options, but that is all."

Yang grinned, pumping her fist, "Nothing beats a good fist to the face!"

Vader just stared at her for a moment, before turning to leave the room, his cape billowing out, "You four need to go to bed. You have classes in the morning, and I do not want to see a single absence or late notification. Come along girls."

Ruby and her team just looked at each other, before reluctantly deciding that the Sith Lord was probably right, not to mention they didn't want to miss the chance of going on his space ship!

* * *

 _ **WEST VALE DOCKS  
2300HRS**_

TK-70558, a.k.a Rede, had been to dozens of alien worlds in his time as both a Clone Trooper under the Grand Republic Army, and as a Imperial Commando under the Galactic Empire. Each planet came with it's own set of hostile variables and interesting quirks. However, Remnant just _felt_ different. It was a hodgepodge of old world tech, and modern innovation. He looked down at the crystal in his hand, called Dust by the natives, before looking out at the docks. Chilly, foggy, and dimly lit. The air may have been fresher than Coruscant, but industrial sections always felt the same, dirty and ominous. This section of the sprawling Vale port was filled with the same strange energy source in his hand. Dust, both the uncut crystals, and the powdered form. The stuff was apparently extremely efficient, until it left the planet's atmosphere. He was rather confused as to why they didn't search for alternative forms of energy, given their current advancements in technology.

"Sir, the men are in place. Alpha Team has overwatch on the main building to the south, and Bravo Team is holding the gates."

Rede looked down from his perch on a shipping container, pocketing the dust crystal as TK-15226 reported in, "Roger that. Are the landers cloaked and in position?"

The Clone trooper nodded, "Yessir. They are currently monitoring CCT communications as we speak."

Rede grinned under his helmet. One of the good things about facing down a primitive race was the fact that they usually had ridiculously easy to intercept communications, "Good job, trooper. All we have to do now, is wait for the enemy to show themselves. The other location is close enough for us to at least intercept the enemy, but it's a little too public…"

The trooper nodded, hurrying off to join his squadron. Rede sighed, adjusting his armour as he scanned the night sky. This was the most boring part of the job. Regular troopers showed up with the fighting already in progress, but Commandos? They could stake out a location for months before having to make a move. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the instance here.

A Small blurb of radio chatter brought his attention back to planetside, and he tapped his comm piece, "This is Rede, bad copy. Send again."

There was a moment of silence, and then came the response, "This is Tenor to Rede. Transmission intercepted. Enemy inbound. I repeat, enemy inbound. One VTOL."

Speak of the devil, "Good copy. Radio check. Confirm positions."

"Rathtar-1 Alpha to Rathtar-Actual, holding position on building roof west of your position."

"Rathtar-1 Bravo, holding gates. Advise withdrawing to main docks due to aerial assault."

"Condor to Actual, holding position. Cloak steady."

"Sketto to Actual, holding. Ready for action. Be advised that any bombardment will be danger close."

Rede nodded, fifty storm troopers on the ground, twenty in the air. That should be enough… "Actual to all units, weapons hot. Solid Copy, Sketto. Rathtar-1 Bravo, pull back to main area, but remain hidden."

There was a short response from Bravo team, and Rede took a deep breath, "Rede to all units… The enemy we are facing will not be like the usual rebel scum we deal with. In fact, you could say that many of them are… well, similar to Jedi. They may not have access to the same power as our leader, General Vader, but they are not to be trifled with. They are faster, and stronger than us. Our advantage is that they do not know who we are. And who are we?"

The response was unanimous, including from the men he had with him, "The 501st Legion!"

"And what does that make us?"

"Vader's Fist!"

"OOH-AHH!"

"Let's kill us some scum!"

"Vader's Fist, leads the way!"

Rede grinned under his helmet, "You bet your damned ass we do! Now, get ready boys, we're about to make first contact the hard way! Rede, over and out!"

Rede cut off his transmission, and not a moment too soon. A single bulkhead VTOL roared overhead, lights blazing on as it lowered itself to the ground. Immediately, the ramp extended outward, and several men in matching uniforms rushed out. Rede focused his helmet camera on the blood red logo emblazoned on the backs of each man, "Rede to Tenor, run the logo through the database, and see what you find."

"Roger that, Rede."

The masked men rushed about, setting up a rather messy perimetre. On of the men still on board barked out orders, "Alright, grab the tow cables!"

Rede had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the attempt to play soldier there. The weapons seemed… mixed. He could see a mixture of blades and primitive Dust weaponry. Nothing like what the kids at that Beacon place had. And those masks… how could any of them actually see?"

"Alpha-1 to Actual, I'm seeing movement. They have someone with them."

Rede blinked, snapping back to reality as another person stepped off the Bulkhead.

"Hey! What's the hold up?" A man in a white overcoat and black hat began walking down the ramp, toying with a rather bulky looking cane. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?"

Roman Torchwick. Each Commando was given a sort of Bingo book at the start of each mission, to identify persons of interest to capture alive. So far, there were only three people in the Remnant Bingo Book. Two of the tree had pictures, and only one of them had a face to said picture.

"Tenor to Rede, identity Roman Torchwick confirmed. Organization logo identifies as White Fang, terrorist and extremist group. The White Fang wishes to see the subjugation or extinction of the human race, with a Faunus ruling remnant."

Faunus… the human animal hybrids native to Remnant. But the White Fang working with someone as openly racist as Roman Torchwick? He frowned, "Bravo Team, move into position. New objective. Take Roman Torchwick alive if possible. He may have vital information against the White Fang."

"Alpha-1 to Actual, good copy. Already in position to engage. Ready for contact."

Rede nodded, "Good. Bravo Team, terminate White Fang targets around Roman Torchwick… Execute."

Several distinct shrieks of sniper fire rang out, immediately burning through the auras of the White Fang members. Rede jumped up from his cargo container, his jet pack carrying him aloft as he opened a line with all units, "CONTACT! CONTACT! CONTACT!"

Immediately, a force of twenty white clad troopers poured out from various cargo containers, while a squad of ten rushed out from their makeshift cover after pulling back from the gates. Roman Torchwick's jaw dropped as he watched his 'subordinates' hit the ground with smoking holes in their bodies. Rede landed on the ground in front of the troopers, pointing his DC-17s hand blaster at Torchwick, "Roman Torchwick, you are to come with us."

Roman held his hands up, looking at the group of troopers with a rather surprised, yet smug smirk, "Oh? And what makes you think I'm going to do that? What do you want with little old me anyways?"

Rede scowled, holding his position, "You have information that our General wants. Once we have that information, along with the identities of your cohorts in this little operation, you will be delivered the the authorities in Vale, with a personal escort to ensure that you are put away for a very, _very_ long time. If the General's apprentice doesn't kill you first."

Roman raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Now I'm mildly curious as to who you represent. The only one I know who could have such a grudge against me is a pitiful little twerp. Speaking of little, you need to fire your intelligence branch."

Rede's scowl turned into a frown as a pit formed in his stomach. What was this fool-"

"MORE ENEMY VTOLS INBOUND! THEY WERE RUNNING IN SOME SORT OF CLOAKED MODE WE'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED!"

Without warning, the roar of several other VTOLs sounded off, as three Bulkheads dropped from the sky. Rede and his men looked up in surprise, giving Roman his chance. He leveled the cane at Rede, firing a bright bolt of dust at him. It impacted his chest with a thunderous boom, throwing the commando through the air and into a cargo container. Stars exploded in his vision, and he struggled to breath. Everything hurt, and there was a loud ringing in his ears. He let out a groan of pain, struggling to even move as his vision swam and his consciousness threatened to fade.

"Rede… up! Get the f… Everywhere! Keep fi…"

A hand on the back of his armour brought him back to reality as a trooper began dragging him out of the firefight. He grunted with pain, straining to see who it was.

"TK-12263, sir. I'm a medic!" The clone rolled him over, beginning to check his armour. "Doesn't look like that shot penetrated, though your plates are definitely going to need a new paint job. And your jets were toast after meeting that cargo container. Had to detach those."

Rede chuckled weakly, "Damn it… I just got that done last week. Son of a kriffing nerf herded that hurt."

The medic helped Rede to his feet, handing him his blaster back, "Were surrounded and outnumbered, sir. What are your orders."

Rede's eyes widened and he grabbed the medic, pulling him out of the way before a White Fang member could take his head off. He quickly shot the faunus in the chest, needing several rounds to actually penetrate that damned aura before killing him. "Stang! This Rede to all units! Fall back and take cover! I repeat, fall back and take cover! Condor and Sketto, light them the fuck up! This will be danger close run! Take out as many of those nerf herding scum bags as possible!"

The dull rumble of Imperial Landers filled the air, overpowering the air breathing engines of the VTOLs as their cloaks deactivated. A few of the White Fang soldiers noticed the craft as the clone troopers began retreating, some of them literally diving off the docks and into the water. They took a few potshots at them, expecting them to be like the VTOLs… Only to be met with Imperial Durasteel. Deadly green bolts of energy lanced across the air, turning concrete to dust and White Fang soldiers to pulp. Missiles slammed into the sides of two of the VTOLs, detonating against the grey aircraft with with devastating effect. Rede and the medic were hunkered up against a cargo container, with the medic on his own comm unit to the Executor.

"This is TK-12263 to Executor, authorization code Alpha-Two-Six-Three! I need immediate med-evac. Casualties ranging twenty to thirty men."

There were several long seconds of silence, punctuated by laser fire as the Landing Craft bombarded the docks.

"Good copy. Unable to send med-evac… You have twenty four hours to attempt another evac. Recommend making your way to Beacon Academy. Remember, you're on foreign ground. Send who you can up with the landers, and then evac. Destroy all evidence of your involvement."

A massive explosion rocked the docks as one of the few remaining White Fang soldiers managed to take one of the landing craft down with a lucky rocket to the engines.

"This is Condor! We've lost power to main engines! Mayday, mayday! We're going down! Son of a-"

Rede watched in horror as the craft slammed into the docks, hard. The remaining VTOL took the the air, retreating with the second Landing Craft firing a few shots after it. Rede slowly came out of cover, his blaster hanging limply from his fingers. What the hell just happened?"

"Sir, we need to move! The Executor can't send anyone due to the local population! Orders are to send who we can on the lander, destroy our evidence, and then make way to Beacon Academy!"

Rede cursed, holstering his weapon and then flagging the last Lander, "Alright, we have ten minutes to get what wounded we have onto that lander! How many survivors?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Tenor responded, "Recon team, full strength. Alpha team, full strength. Bravo team and HHC… Ninety percent casualties."

Rede blanched under his helmet, but he didn't lose his cool, "Thanks for the update, Tenor. Select your best men to stay behind. Send the rest with the shuttle, along with any wounded. The rest of you, do the same! Medic, you're with me. Once everyone is loaded and the ones behind are clear, I want you to raze everything to the ground, Sketto. Make it look like the dust went off! Leave nothing behind! Everyone staying behind, meet by the south gates!"

"Roger, sir. Ready to receive!"

Rede grit his teeth as his chest gave a harsh pang. Probably bruised a few ribs, more than likely broke them actually. This was going to suck. He glanced at the medic, "What's your name, Trooper?"

The medic blinked in confusion, before shrugging, "Barring my designation, sir? Never been with a unit long enough to get one."

Rede chuckled, immediately regretting it, "Well, I think you're going to be with 40th Squadron for a while, so we need to get you one. We'll deal with that later though. You got a stim-shot on you? My ribs are pretty busted up right now."

The clone nodded, before pulling out a syringe of green liquid, "Here you go sir…"

While the field medic did his thing, Rede looked out at the remaining troopers rushing to complete evac. He saw many White Fang bodies laying everywhere… but there were more clones in white armour. He had severely underestimated his opponent, and good men had paid the price. He began to breath a bit easier as the stim-shot began to take effect, "We need to go. Two minutes until authorities arrive."

The medic nodded, helping the commando to his feet, "Roger that… Don't worry, sir. They won't be forgotten."

Rede frowned, drawing his weapon and rushing to meet his troops at the rally point. Tenor and a collection of six other troopers were there to meet him. Tenor snapped a crisp salute, "Lovely evening for a stroll, Rede. Had I known we were taking the scenic route home, I would have brought my horn down." WIth his bit of joking done, Tenor's voice took on a more serious tone. "We put as many of the troopers on the ship as possible. The wounded took up too much room."

Rede nodded, "That's fine trooper. Let's move o-"

The ground shook as Condor unloaded its full payload onto the dock battle site, sending a plume of smoke, fire, and debris into the air. Rede whistled, "Well… That should do the trick. Let's go. I want to make it to a safe point by sun up. We are going comms dark until then. Don't want the enemy intercepting any stray communications, or the local authorities for that matter."

Tenor nodded, gesturing for the other troopers to move out. Nine Imperial Storm Troopers, stranded in a foreign, possibly hostile city, with no way to get evac without alerting the authorities, and nearly a hundred kilometres between them and Beacon Academy."

* * *

 _ **Alrighty then! I think this is a pretty decent sized chapter for my usual work. I know that this chapter has been a long time coming, and I am extremely sorry for that. My job up until recently hasn't exactly left me with enough time (or critical thinking power for that matter) to really put my nose to the grinder and come up with something. However, with recent changes to my chain of command, namely a new motor sergeant who actually dismisses us at a decent bloody time, I should be getting the time I need to actually write something. Now, while I get ready to type up the next chapter, I want to know what you lot want. I could continue the next chapter with the girls at Beacon, or I could continue with the 501st troopers that were left behind. I know that there are those of you out there who want to know what's going on with the Empire and Thrawn, but… Well, the rest of the Galaxy is pretty much following the same time line, just with a few different names. As for Thrawn… I might write a few little side chapters. Hell, I may even write an entire side fic just for his adventures in the unknown regions. Mainly just a collection of one-shots for my amusement… I would be an evil god. Not a bad one, necessarily… Just evil.**_


End file.
